Thursday, November 8, 2012

A Fundamental Question


So I left the "compound" for a little while this afternoon in the pickup: went down to the big city. On the way I thought I'd treat myself to a Little "Progressive Talk radio." As soon as I returned I jogged up the stairs to the computer to do a little ranting before my head exploded. So okay, I am going to keep this as concise as possible. I have a question, and it is sincere. I have asked it many times over the past few years and received no answer at all. Please if you are a liberal, progressive or any other kind of collectivist explain to me this one core question that divides us:

First, the foundation for my question. I will keep it as succint as possible. My basis for the role of government and the ethical scope of taxation is, I think, pretty simple... Anything I want from the government I should have to pay for. I believe that the only real rights I have; life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, are mine because they cost no one else anything. In these rights I take nothing from anyone. No one need give me anything, or expend any energy on my behalf. My understanding of the core responsibility of government is to protect these rights.  They do not give these rights, and they cannot take them away unless I forfeit them by infringing on someone else's identical rights. We have a contract, you and I. We have agreed to combine some of our resources to protect these rights. We call this contract "government." The combined resources we agreed to put up toward these ends we call "taxes." Everyone receives the benefit of protection from this government, so everyone has to pony up. There are no free rides. This seems unequivocally fair to me. So that is my conservative, libertarian, and I feel unassailably logical world view in regard to my rights and symbiotic responsibilities.

So I believe that I should pay for the military because I get a direct benefit from it. I believe that to be realistically protected we need a more superior military and weaponry than those who would do us harm. This is one thing that truly only the government is big enough to do. I believe that we all share the "Right of Way," and the rest of the infrastructure of electricity, water, sewage, etc. Thus we are all required to pay our fair share for our use of it. On a local level we have the equivalent of the military in the local, state, and national police forces to protect us from those within our borders who would infringe on our aforementioned rights. These all seem logical, and I know of few who would argue with any of this. But this is where the two worlds of collectivists and non - collectivists such as conservatives and libertarians diverge.

Whenever I have asked the myriad collectivists; those liberals, progressives, the various brands of Marxists and Fascists, what is the basis for their world view in the morality and ethics of taxation and our "duty" to our fellow man, they always start at the same place as me. They will always turn the onus back on me, asking:

     "Well you want roads, and police, and electricity and such don't you?  Well you have to pay your fair share for those benefits."

     "So Yeah," I say, "we totally agree on that, but what is the basis for me paying for those things that I derive no benefit from whatsoever?"

     "Well," they will say, "if you want to be taken care of when you get old you have to take care of others when they get old: fair is fair."

     "Well yeah" I reply, "I may want to make you work to take care of me when I am old but how do I actually derive the right to the fruits of your labor or intellect?"

At this point I just get a plethora of circular reasoning explaining how we all have a moral collective duty to each other. As often as not they will explain that the resources of our dear Mother Earth do not belong to any one of us, thus we must all collectively pay for them. My response to that of course is:

     "Why can't we just pay for them individually as we use them? What could be more fair than that?

And of course there is the ever-maddening:

     "It's for the children."

     Now I understand why I am responsible for the children that I have created. They are helpless and I caused them to be. That is pretty straightforward. What I cannot for the life of me understand is why I am responsible for children that I did not father. To this query I will get a frustrated

     "because they are children!"

     "Right… but how did I become responsible for them?"

     "...Because they are children…"

     "Hmmmmmm..."

Referring back to my benefits creates obligation thesis should I not have the right to sex with any woman whose child I am responsible for? I mean, maybe those feudal lords were onto something with their "Rights of Prima Nocta" - Just sayin...

Which brings me to the "Right to Healthcare." - aaargg! I am completely bewildered and aggravated beyond words [almost] by this reasoning; this "Right to Healthcare." In watching the way this sacred cow is spoken of in reverent holy tones you would think that "Healthcare" was picked directly from the tree of life in the Garden of Eden. "Healthcare" is a product. This product is created by the labor and intellect of those who wish to sell this product and service just as other others choose to sell shoes or surfboards. These people attend school and expend vast amounts of wealth and the minutes and years of their lives, gaining the expertise to heal people, to alleviate their suffering, and to save lives. They often spend twelve years of their lives at huge personal expense just to achieve entry level to their field. They purchase hugely expensive equipment facilities, and staff. They employ armies of support staff to deal with the ever burgeoning regulations and issues that constantly chew away at their incomes. They subject themselves to endless lawsuits from ambulance chasers suing them for virtually anything they prescribe and anything they do. Aside from this there are the livelihood of the support staff and those whose livelihoods depend on the products that they sell through the healthcare system. This is what we really think we have a "Right" to?  What exactly have these people done to owe you, me or anyone anything at all? I am serious; what gives us the "Right" to any of the fruits of their investment, their labor or their intellect?

So finally, my question: Based upon my above reasoning what is your basis for the morality of collectivism?  Why do we all have a duty to fund anything that the left dreams up, and arbitrarily decides is now my responsibility? What is the basis for your progressive, liberal taxation ideology? What gives you the "Right" to save the world with my money?

This is a serious question and I really am seeking understanding of this mindset because it is the key to almost all of our ideological differences. For Ned, and all of the "Agree to Disagee'ers" I really am not seeking agreement, disagreement, debate, or a hearty slap on the back and a "You go guy!" I am truly perplexed by the basis for the collectivist world view. I am asking you to do what progressives have always claimed as their mission statement: enlighten me.

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