Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site denelcor.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!ittvax!dcdwest!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!hplabs!hao!denelcor!neal From: neal@denelcor.UUCP Newsgroups: net.philosophy Subject: Re: Re: Whither Are We Drifting Message-ID: <490@denelcor.UUCP> Date: Wed, 27-Jun-84 19:58:02 EDT Article-I.D.: denelcor.490 Posted: Wed Jun 27 19:58:02 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 30-Jun-84 07:12:40 EDT References: <555@flairvax.UUCP> Organization: Denelcor, Aurora, CO Lines: 54 ************************************************************************** >> 2. As a productive member of society, I very much resent the >> government(s) punishing productivity and rewarding non-productivity (or >> even bad luck). > >Do you really believe that the government disapproves of productivity? As an organization, rather like a corporation, rather than an individual, it's hard to see how a government can approve or disapprove of anything. As far as their official pronouncements go, of course they approve of productivity. Their official pronouncements seem about as believable as most peoples--especially when their actions belie their words to this degree. As far as the people I know and know of who are involved in this arm of the government, they don't exactly disapprove, the feeling I get from them is more of a kind of resentment. "What right have YOU got to be productive when so many can't be?" >Do you really believe that those who are wealthiest are the most productive? Who said anything about "wealthy"? There is no tax (at least at the federal level) on _wealth_, the tax is on _income_ -- _earned_income_ at that. One way of looking at the income tax is that it keeps anyone from becoming wealthy thereby protecting the power and perquisites of those who were wealthy when the tax was adopted (and their families). >Kevin D. Kissell To further amplify my use of the word "punishment" in my original submission, let me point out that I could be caught dealing quite a large amount of illegal drugs (to choose one example) and get off more lightly than I do for the crime of holding down a job for a year. Besides the personal loss I suffer every year, let me point out another problem that I believe arises from the government's actions in this arena. Many people are bemoaning the lack of productivity of the American people right now believing (as I do) that that is the cause of the problems the American economy is suffering. Why should anyone be productive when the punishment is so severe? In particular, why should anyone who, for one reason or another, is not capable of earning more than the minimum wage bother to be productive at all when it is more profitable (i.e., He can feed his family better.) to collect welfare? I maintain that we have managed to remove the bottom segment of the productive people and sufficiently alienated and dispirited the rest that it's a source of constant amazement that we're not a great deal worse off than we are. Regards, Neal Weidenhofer "The law is for protection Denelcor, Inc. of the people" !denelcor!neal