What is this "taxation is theft" meme I read from american users on twitter?

RickTheToad

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In some ways, it is. No problem with paying for fire, police, EMS, hospitals, roadways, lights, etc. However, having to pay these over inflated salaries of public employees is crazy. These teachers in Stamford, CT are making near six figures after 5 years. I dated a music teacher once in neighboring Westchester, NY; she made 93k as a freaking music teacher. Give me a break. Everyone deserves a fair wage, but some of these gov't employees' wages are out of control.
 

EyeBRollin

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These teachers in Stamford, CT are making near six figures after 5 years. I dated a music teacher once in neighboring Westchester, NY; she made 93k as a freaking music teacher. Give me a break. Everyone deserves a fair wage, but some of these gov't employees' wages are out of control.
That is a fair wage. Teachers are underpaid overall. Public sector pay is generally shvt and they make up for it in benefits and holidays.
 

Millard Fillmore

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In some ways, it is. No problem with paying for fire, police, EMS, hospitals, roadways, lights, etc. However, having to pay these over inflated salaries of public employees is crazy.
A good start would be abolishing the TSA.

Also implementing passport scanners and axing some USCIS personnel.
 

taiyuu_otoko

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Study some history, folks.

Taxation has been around since the the dawn of large societies.

And very rarely have the collected taxes been used for the betterment of society or the peasants.

Taxes have often been called "tributary" taxes. Meaning you pay tribute to your ruler.

Rulers see a tax base as their own personal income stream.

Rulers fight with other rulers to expand their own income streams.

And if you're a fan of taxes, answer these questions:

How many people would pay taxes if they were absolutely and completely voluntary?

What does it mean to live in a society where the "important" stuff (schools, cops, roads, etc.) need to be paid for with involuntarily paid money?
 

Dr.Suave

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I guess some teachers can be overpaid and some can be underpaid. State Universities in my country pay like 5 dollars an hour, but the benefits are supposedly good.
 

Pierce Manhammer

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Neither of you have children, when you send your kids off to school they have them 8 hours a day. Yes, we need better public school teachers, hell, I sent my kids to the best private school in the state, and their experience and learning were impeccable, why? Because the teachers and staff were well paid.

Likewise emergent care staff, particularly EMT's need to be better compensated, you cannot live on their pay.
 

Pandora

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Is it related to the founding fathers and the revolution against britain?
It is part of a revival of Anarcho/Libertarianism thought. They are right though. Taxation is theft. Human's invented the State when the agricultural revolution started. This is when we started to become tax cattle.

If you would not willingly give the money over to the state then it is theft.
 

Pandora

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Europeans pay taxes to have adequate public transportation, reliable infrastructure, Trustable Public Safety, Education, and etc.

Americans pay taxes to have little to no public Transportation, unreliable infrastructure, law enforcement that is more stupid speed traps rather than protecting and serving, lackluster education, long lines at grocery stores because EBT/Food Stamp moms have 2 full carts of junk food, and a military that has won a war since WW2 :)
Bro exactly. I went to a nation in the South Caucasus region a few months ago. Their economy sucks but their cities are so clean, safe and well kept. They actually get something back for their money. If you are going to rape a population at least give us something.

Most developed nations have atleast 1 thing they can be proud of. They either have clean cities, cheap healthcare, free college etc. We have nothing! America has become a piggy bank for politicians and corporations to loot.
 

Pandora

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It's funny people in the US are the ones who complain the most yet we are one of the least taxed countries in the world.
We are not the least taxed. When you add up income, state, county, sales, property then we are among the most taxed. When you look at income tax we are not that high relatively speaking. When you add all the other taxes we are high af especially considering we get nothing for our taxes.
 

Pandora

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It's more like extortion...
Lol yes! This is the best way to put it.

How to form the state in 4 easy steps:

Take over a plot of land. Kick out the native inhabitants. Call yourself a country. Then extort the new citizens of that country.
 

Pandora

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And if it were $6 trillion the complaint would be it was too expensive. As Americans, we complain about everything. We’re fortunate to have roads, airports, and running water.
Bro you got some low azz standards. We are fortunate to have the basics in order to survive in a modern country!!! Did you just say we are fortunate to have water, airports and running water! Sometimes I feel like you just like saying wild stuff.

There are war torn West African countries that have that much. There are ex soviet nations that have that much. Even Iraq has those basics. What are you talking about brother lolol
 

EyeBRollin

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Bro you got some low azz standards. We are fortunate to have the basics in order to survive in a modern country!!! Did you just say we are fortunate to have water, airports and running water! Sometimes I feel like you just like saying wild stuff.
Yes. It’s called being grateful. Not every country has running water, paved roads, and international airports. You do know that, right? How is this a wild statement?
 

Pandora

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Study some history, folks.

Taxation has been around since the the dawn of large societies.

And very rarely have the collected taxes been used for the betterment of society or the peasants.

Taxes have often been called "tributary" taxes. Meaning you pay tribute to your ruler.

Rulers see a tax base as their own personal income stream.

Rulers fight with other rulers to expand their own income streams.

And if you're a fan of taxes, answer these questions:

How many people would pay taxes if they were absolutely and completely voluntary?

What does it mean to live in a society where the "important" stuff (schools, cops, roads, etc.) need to be paid for with involuntarily paid money?
1000000% facts. People dont go back far enough into history. We have to go back to the formation of the concept of Statehood to really understand how this scam works.
 

Pandora

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Yes. It’s called being grateful. Not every country has running water, paved roads, and international airports. You do know that, right?
Yes how about we compare ourselves to the very bottom of the barrel. That should make us feel good.
Thats like saying "you should be grateful to be dating a skinny single mother. There are some guys who date fat ugly single mothers"

When comparing the USA to other INDUSTRIALIZED NATIONS we rank very low in just about everything. You cant compare yourself to Somalia and feel good about our position. Like I said even my "shyt hole" country in West Africa has paved roads, running water and airports. That is the lowest of the low metric to feel grateful for. Stop it.
 

BackInTheGame78

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We are not the least taxed. When you add up income, state, county, sales, property then we are among the most taxed. When you look at income tax we are not that high relatively speaking. When you add all the other taxes we are high af especially considering we get nothing for our taxes.
Canadians would disagree with you.
 

BackInTheGame78

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Study some history, folks.

Taxation has been around since the the dawn of large societies.

And very rarely have the collected taxes been used for the betterment of society or the peasants.

Taxes have often been called "tributary" taxes. Meaning you pay tribute to your ruler.

Rulers see a tax base as their own personal income stream.

Rulers fight with other rulers to expand their own income streams.

And if you're a fan of taxes, answer these questions:

How many people would pay taxes if they were absolutely and completely voluntary?

What does it mean to live in a society where the "important" stuff (schools, cops, roads, etc.) need to be paid for with involuntarily paid money?
You mean other than having paved roads, interstates, sewage treatment facilities, running water, trash pickup, etc etc etc...

But yeah, other than that nothing else...

I mean you'd be happy with taking your bucket of excrement and tossing out the 2nd story window onto the streets below every morning tho apparently.
 

Pandora

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Canadians would disagree with you.
.

The highest income earning Americans pay 37% in taxes. Canadians are taxed at 33% for their highest bracket. So most informed Canadians would agree with me. Americans are getting cucked hard.

Not only are Canadians being taxed less they get more for their taxes. Atleast they have something. Yes their universal healthcare is inefficient but it is still better than our system.

Also Americans have so many small taxes that we never count. We have sales taxes, property taxes, capital gains taxes, county taxes and federal. Oh and dont forget they tax your vehicle when you register it, they tax you via emissions testing, they tax you to get a barbers license, they even tax you to build a deck sometimes ( building permit), hunting license etc.
 

Pandora

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You mean other than having paved roads, interstates, sewage treatment facilities, running water, trash pickup, etc etc etc...

But yeah, other than that nothing else...

I mean you'd be happy with taking your bucket of excrement and tossing out the 2nd story window onto the streets below every morning tho apparently.
This is a strange argument you are making. The OP is not saying we dont need to come together to provide collective services. He is saying that the state is the most inefficient way to come together to provide these services. This is because the state serves as a mafia that skims a lot of the money off the top. They don't care if the people have good services or not.

He is saying that before the idea of the nation state people came together as a village and got things done effectively. The formation of the nation state has turned out to be a disaster for the average man.
 

BackInTheGame78

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The highest income earning Americans pay 37% in taxes. Canadians are taxed at 33% for their highest bracket. So most informed Canadians would agree with me. Americans are getting cucked hard.

Not only are Canadians being taxed less they get more for their taxes. Atleast they have something. Yes their universal healthcare is inefficient but it is still better than our system.

Also Americans have so many small taxes that we never count. We have sales taxes, property taxes, capital gains taxes, county taxes and federal. Oh and dont forget they tax your vehicle when you register it, they tax you via emissions testing, they tax you to get a barbers license, they even tax you to build a deck sometimes ( building permit), hunting license etc.
Ever been to Canada?

I live on a border city and go there frequently. I can assure things are far more expensive there than here. PST, GST, ridiculous fees added to everything. Paying $1.50 for a Liter of gasoline.

There is a reason why Canadian companies organize bus tours over here to go shopping on weekends and they are always sold out. It's cheaper to pay to go on one of those bus tours and shop at a 66% rate on the US Dollar than it is to go to their stores in Canada. But somehow we are paying more taxes? Yeah right.

Also, their healthcare system is backed up so long that for any procedure you are waiting months if not over a year. Many Canadians pay to have the procedures done in the US instead of waiting.

Don't talk about stuff you don't know about in factual terms.
 
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