Glander, can you verify that?
You Can't Ignore Fiscal Responsibilities!!!
by minimus 45 Replies latest social current
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Glander
LOL. Only by own personal observations of human nature!
"Anybody who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the Government take care of him; better take a closer look at the American Indian."
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jgnat
Surely there are some activities that are better managed collectively. What are those to an American? I can guarantee it's a different list than a Canadian's.
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minimus
what's your list, then?
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Glander
A collective effort does not have to mean a government conceived and controlled effort. That introduces the unavoidable human weakness, corruption. The positive effect of communities who know their fellows and have common needs are the perfect example of collective efforts that work well.
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DogGone
Glander,
I agree with you. Certainly, disincentives to gainful employment are deplorable for a society. Earlier a poster provided a fascinating graph of "wage cliffs" in another thread. I had never heard of this structure that creates such a massive disincentive to reach for higher wages. If true, it is madness.
So, there is a point at which tax and services creates societies where the Government takes care of all and productivity is terrible (Communism). Then there are societies where tax and services creates societies where productivity is high (much of Europe). Then there are societies where taxes are confusing and productivity is still very high (United States).
Your reflection on the tragedy of the Native Americans is apt. People criticize them as a race but they are only living the way most white welfare families I know live. It is a terrible thing to remove a person's impulse to be productive. However, that is, for me anyway, not a corollary for not providing assistance to those unable to be productive. I'm sure you will agree.
I suppose the question is of degrees and grays. With some people these recent changes are going too far.... just as the left felt the Bush tax cuts went too far the other way.
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BizzyBee
Dog, tell that "study" to the people who are sick of being taxed to death.
Who exactly are these people Min?
We don't know, but apparently they are dead.
(Taxation can be fatal, you know.)
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DogGone
Glander, on your last point.... isn't that government? These "communities who know their fellows and have common needs" and who create positive examples of "collective effort", would they not have some form of governance? Say, like the municipal government in my home town of 3000. Or the Board I sit on for a service club?
Minimus, activities I think are better handled collectively:
- Transportation - roads, bridges, airports, transit
- Healthcare
- Defense (offence when needed)
- Disaster relief
- Insurance (the very idea is collectivism, of course)
- Monetary policy
- Treaty negotiations
- Criminal law
- Basic Education (though, I'm not sold on this one)
- Enforcement
- Intelligence gathering
- Risk mitigation
- Resource rights
Actives I think are deplorable when handled collectivity:
- Media, publishing
- Property
- Child rearing
- Religious/political indoctrination
- Employment
- Higher education
- Business valuation / investment
- Postal service (was once up top)
- Utilities
- Resource extraction... well, any kind of business
- The actual building of anything the collective has decided to fund (eg, private companies bid to build and maintain roads, etc)
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jgnat
I would put utilities on the collective side. Civil law, too.
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DogGone
Agree on civil law. Utilities, you are probably right. The sort of arms length public companies like BC Hydro and Enmax are good examples of splitting the difference.
Could expand the list by things like housing, banking, etc... but it is more illustrative than exhaustive