DADvocate

Dadvocate,

Until I clicked over from Darren's site, I' never seen your sight before, but I'm wondering what causes shivers in your spine about paying for things like the military, police and fire protection, highways, and education. As Oliver Wendell Holmes noted, "taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society." You don't agree?

Certainly, we can argue about the amount citizens of a democratic republic will pay in exchange for basic protections of their natural rights. However, I don't see how we can argue that some funds need to be paid. I mean aircraft carries cost about $5 billion each, and they are a primary reason for America's international dominance and national security.

Edmund Burke pointed out that "the revenue of the state is the state." Thus, a poorly funded government is inefficient one at protecting the rights of its citizens. Note, I am not arguing that the government should be funded to the extent that it is today. I am fiscally conservative, but I am also pragmatic.

The free market was never able to provide transportation for its goods and services to the extent that the federal government could with its taxes. The economy has boomed exponentially since the interstate highway system went in. State highways could never have handled the degree of commerce we have today, and Walmart is not building roads from its factories to its stores and from its stores to your houses.

Thus, I can see the argument for fiscal conservatism, but the "all-taxes-are-bad" and they send a shiver up my spine is rather myopic. Or do you just stay on your land and never engage with your community?

Just wondering.

I
 

If you read my sentence carefully, you'll, perhaps, understand that is is "Joe Biden's smile" not all the other crap you try to throw into the argument.

Joe Biden's smile in his Katie Couric interview as he tells us how paying taxes is our patriotic duty gives me that same shiver down my spine (not leg like Chris Matthews) as fingernails scraping a blackboard.

Maybe I left out a comma or two but someone who knows of the existence of Edmund Burke should have been able to figure out that sentence.
 

I wrote the previous comment hurriedly as I was needing to leave. I have no problem paying an appropriate amount of taxes and tax rates, etc were not the point of my post. Biden is a shyster. That was my point.

There is an entire field called neuro-linguistic psychology which studies body language, facial expressions, eye movements, etc in order to help tell what and even how a person is thinking. Facial expressions, tone of voice, body language are a greater part of communication than the actual words. An example, think of how many ways "Thank you" can be said from warm and genuine, to flat, disinterested, to snide and sarcastic.

Biden and Obama give me bad signals in their non-verbal cues. Biden more so. I wouldn't buy a used car from either one of these guys.

Just checked, I see you're an English teacher. Now, I'm scared. :-) I spent my entire high school career trying to avoid the rigors of grammar. BTW - for me, quoting others too much detracts from one's argument. The truth can stand alone. Anyone who like The Grateful Dead is OK at heart though.
 

Ouch!

I apologize for the misreading. Clearly, I misunderstood your intended meaning - that Biden's smile, not his ideology, disturbs you. Fair enough.

Thanks for the acknowledgment that "taxes aren't evil," as I run into that far too often, especially here in Colorado. I would, of course, take exception to any of my arguments being "crap," though I concur that the degree of taxation can be reasonably argued.

I would agree on the quote issue, as I note to my students when they write argument, if there weren't synthesis and follow-up analysis. However, I think I provide some effective examples of both Holmes' and Burke's assertions.

Anyway, thanks for the feedback and a new blog to check from time to time.
 

I apologize for referring to your argument as crap. I overreacted to what I thought was an attempt to misdirect my comments to something I didn't say or believe.

Personally, I can't complain too much about taxes. In my income bracket, I pay some but not much. Generally, I get more than I pay for.

My relatives in Tennessee constantly complain about how much money is spent on roads. I've driven across the U.S. and back and more. Tennessee has pretty damn good roads. They should be thankful. (Tennessee has no income tax and a pretty low tax burden, overall.)

I do have a problem with how much of our tax money is spent. Joe Biden's proposal to give divorcing women free attorneys is one good example. The government has no business taking sides in divorce disputes.
 

I do not mind paying for the health and well being of the goose that lays the golden eggs. However, what was begun in the Carter administration has now exploded, and every man, woman, and child in this nation is in debt an additional $17,064.00. But, not everyone pays taxes now, do they?

Those who currently run for, or occupy office do not seem to understand economics or the constitution - at least nowhere near as well as those who wrote the constitution, anyway.

I am one of the 59% who believes every single senator and congressman currently holding office should be voted out. My vote will go in that direction. Hopefully, so will many more. I am also of the opinion we need to clean house of the current stock of bureaucrats. That will be harder to do. I hope next voting cycle is a blood bath. It needs to be.
 

br549 - I'm with you and the rest of the 59%!! Maybe that will get their attention.
 

dadvocate: Stop in at adrianvance.blogspot.com and read his recent writings. I like his view of most things, and drop in a lot to read, although I comment little.
 

br549 - thanks for the link. I checked it out. I'll have to make a point of reading it regularly.