Image Transcription:
An 8-panel Phoebe Teaching Joey meme.
The first panel is Phoebe from Friends saying "Russia".
The second panel is Joey from the same show replying with "Russia".
The third panel is Phoebe saying "has invaded".
The fourth panel is Joey repeating back "has invaded".
The fifth panel is Phoebe saying "Ukraine".
The sixth panel is Joey repeating back "Ukraine".
The seventh panel is Phoebe saying the completed phrase "Russia has invaded Ukraine".
The final panel shows Joey proudly proclaiming "NATO just started a proxy war".
"I'm forced to pay taxes on things I don't want" no
"And don't use" nope.
"So I don't pay as much" if you use them
Again you're fundamentally misunderstanding taxation. You're not paying taxes for those services (I mean, in a way you are but indirectly through cost of services) you pay for the benefits of living in society. You use public roads, you 100% cannot say you don't because that's near impossible in America. You use public roads, your utilities get sent through public infrastructure (even when provided by private corporations they utilise public infrastructure in 87.6% of cases), you 100% do use publicly funded services and benefit from taxation.
Anybody who honestly thinks they don't is fucking delusional.
So for these services and goods, you pay money to the government. Then the government uses THEIR MONEY (because it is NO LONGER YOUR MONEY) to pay for other things. Things you might not use, but it's not your fucking money. So you don't get to decide how they spend it. Because it is not your money.
Once paid, that is the government's money. Not yours. That's how capitalism fucking works. It's literal capitalism 101, I learned this in 5th, 7th, and again in 10th grade. Oh, right.... you didn't use public education..... guess you should ask the private school you sent your kids to for a refund.
Edit: A list of things you almost definitely use, even if only occasionally, that are funded by taxes
GOVERNMENT GETS THE MONEY FROM ME! GOVERNMENT IS ALL OF US! THAT'S THE WHOLE DAMN POINT.
Yes, I'm forced to pay taxes on things I don't use, that's just a fact. I don't understand why you'd waste energy trying to tell me otherwise since you are factually wrong.
Except I'm not. The only way I'm wrong is if you misunderstand how taxation works. You only pay taxes because you use the services of society. You literally cannot say you don't, it is next to fucking impossible not to if you have access to the internet in America. You 100% live somewhere that I can guarantee you benefit from tax funded programs. Meaning you are using the services. Those services have a cost, you pay taxes to cover the cost, they use THEIR MONEY (it doesn't matter if they get it from you, it is THEIR money after you pay it.... that's literally how capitalism works).
Also govt is not all of us. We are NOT a democracy. We are a republic. The govt is made up of REPRESENTATIVES that WE elect to REPRESENT us.
I honestly am surprised you managed to graduate high school given this is information we learn in elementary school. If you struggle with literal 5th grade civics, I'd hate to see how you did in 10th grade economics.
Edit: it's funny tho that the taxation is theft crowd is often the same ones to defend capitalism. Without capitalism taxation wouldn't be necessary as you'd decommodify those publicly funded programs. Commodification is a symptom and function of capitalism.
Fundamentally speaking, arguing for the abolition of taxation means you're advocating for something that began with the Communists.
I didn't say that. I said I'm forced to pay for things I DON'T USE. Not "I nEvEr UsE aNy Of It!" Wanting to opt out of social security is completely reasonable. School vouchers programs are in many great states.
Except you pay for those you do use. And then the govt uses the money you pay them for those things and funds all the others as well, because you've given them the money it is now their money to do with as they please. That's capitalism. You're arguing a point that's basically proving you don't understand capitalism and taxation theory.
Which doesn't surprise me, the American education system is one of the worst in the world.
That's not how social security and school funding works in the US. You really should stop, this is just silly.
I wasn't talking about only school funding and social security. I was talking about taxes. Now I'm very concerned about the quality of your education if you couldn't read and understand a three letter word.
I was. You went off on a general tax tangent and I was trying to keep you focused but failed.