There is a new blog out there called Skepticblog, done by several of my favorite skeptics, including Brian Dunning, Michael Shermer and Phil Plait among others. Cool.
Here is an excerpt from Shermer's first post there:
A short lesson in economic civics: the primary job of government is to protect our private property from being plundered by foreign powers and domestic criminals (through the military and the police respectively), to resolve disputes over property (through the courts), and to protect our civil liberties (another form of property) by enforcing the Constitution and Bill of Rights (through legislation). The government does not produce property, so in order to pay for these services (military, police, courts, legislature) it taxes us. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a tax is “a compulsory contribution to the support of government”. A “compulsory contribution” is an oxymoron. It is compulsory confiscation, and we are all about to have $700 billion confiscated from us. For what? For protection from foreign plunder or domestic crimes against our property? No. For resolving property disputes? No. For defending our Constitutional rights and civil liberties. No. For covering the losses of corporations suffering from taking undue risks? Yes.
A refreshing bit of common sense and critical thinking, obviously it would never make the evening snooze shows.
Here is an excerpt from Shermer's first post there:
A short lesson in economic civics: the primary job of government is to protect our private property from being plundered by foreign powers and domestic criminals (through the military and the police respectively), to resolve disputes over property (through the courts), and to protect our civil liberties (another form of property) by enforcing the Constitution and Bill of Rights (through legislation). The government does not produce property, so in order to pay for these services (military, police, courts, legislature) it taxes us. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a tax is “a compulsory contribution to the support of government”. A “compulsory contribution” is an oxymoron. It is compulsory confiscation, and we are all about to have $700 billion confiscated from us. For what? For protection from foreign plunder or domestic crimes against our property? No. For resolving property disputes? No. For defending our Constitutional rights and civil liberties. No. For covering the losses of corporations suffering from taking undue risks? Yes.
A refreshing bit of common sense and critical thinking, obviously it would never make the evening snooze shows.
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