The problem is the ignorance of the idea that taxes = bad.
The actual idea is that taxation = theft. For a lot people theft is great. But for those who don't espouse that, yes, you can say that it's bad.
The Articles of Confederation failed due to the inability to fund the government. A country basically fell due to having no taxes, but yet there are people that parade the idea of "NO TAXES!"
That's quite the reduction there. Too bad it's weak and self-serving.
I just don't see how people think that living in a society is free.
Nobody says it is. I always pay the bill for my dentist and - for some reason - my customers always pay their bills to me. Where does the "free" part come in?
I believe that the benefits of society are enormous,
Absolutely, that's why people aren't rushing to the desert to live their dream lives as hermits.
and those benefits require adequate funding.
It's called "pay for the shit you consume".
Why is it that the Nordic countries have some of the highest taxes AND they also have the highest level of happiness/satisfaction? If taxes are evil, shouldn't these people be depressed and oppressed?
Economies don't bust from one day to the next. The USSR wasn't always a bankrupt dystopia. Nor was Venezuela. The decline takes time because there's fat to burn and it's not like the economy comes to a halt in the mean time. The whole idea is that is you parasite the host too much, the host eventually withers and dies. Eventually. In the mean time, life is great, especially for the parasites.
Most importantly, don't forget that the pursuit of money is all about happiness in the end. We want to be able to buy the things we want, provide for our families, live in buildings that don't crumble, drive over bridges that don't collapse, drink water that doesn't cause diarrhea, afford medical care when your child gets hit by a car. Being able to do these things creates happiness.
This is exactly why taxes are bad, assuming you're not on the receiving end of the theft process. When you steal my money, I got less ammo to shoot for that happiness. As for the bridge, I'm more than happy to pay a toll if I need to cross it.
Therefore, taxes create happiness when it comes down to it -- but many people fail to think this far ahead and are stuck in the loop of TAXES ARE EVIL.
Theft creates happiness for the fences, that's true.
If society allows an individual to become a billionaire, then it is only fair for them to have to pay their dues.
In other words, he is paying a ransom. Extortion is bad, m'kay?
They can still be wealthy, they can still afford to purchase a Lamborghini for every 50 of their cousins; there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
As long as they pay the Family their dues, you mean.
What is wrong is being able to do these things at the greater expense of society.
Unless you're stealing (like, I don't know, say ... by taxing and extorting), you're doing these things at the benefit of society.
If being able to purchase a second yacht means taking the food out of 10 immigrants mouths, then something is broken with taxes, and it must be fixed for the survival and prosperity of society.
This is too illogical to even start commenting.
