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From: cramer@kontron.UUCP (Clayton Cramer)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Taxes: the cost of Civilization & Democracy: Reply to JoSH
Message-ID: <227@kontron.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 11-Jun-85 18:17:17 EDT
Article-I.D.: kontron.227
Posted: Tue Jun 11 18:17:17 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 12-Jun-85 10:25:02 EDT
References: <642@whuxl.UUCP> <672@abnji.UUCP>
Organization: Kontron Electronics, Irvine, CA
Lines: 48

> >#2)Are taxes collected by *force*?  Well, I know JoSH and other anti-tax
> >   fanatics may find it unbelievable but local and state governments
> >   have tax bond issues up for election all the time. Sometimes these
> >   tax referenda lose.  But amazingly enough they more frequently *win*!
> >   The majority of citizens apparently believe that it is worthwhile to
> >   fund better schools, libraries, parks, roads and all the many services
> >   provided by government. That is the way democracy works.
> >   Nobody *forces* citizens to approve tax referenda - they exercise their
> >   free and democratic right to choose approval or rejection of
> >   such referenda.
> >   Once these tax referenda are approved by the democratic majority then
> >   such laws are enforced by force as are all other laws enacted in a
> >   democratic society.  
> 
> From what I have read, and correct me if I am wrong, the people who
> are anti-tax beleive that those who want to pay for better schools/
> parks/etc. are free to pay for them, but those that don't want them
> shouldn't be obliged to pay for them.  If so, what is to prevent
> them (or their descendants) from using the park/library in the future
> if they wish to?
> -- 
> James C Armstrong, Jnr.   ihnp4!abnji!nyssa
> 

There are a great many nature preserves, private campgrounds and the
like now available on a members only basis --- for many pleasant, but
non-essential facilities like parks, it can be done.  Libraries are
even simpler, since the mechanism is already in place --- library
cards to check out books could just as easily be a card for admission
as well.  Most of the public libraries I have used, and all the university
libraries I have used already have an arrangement for people outside
of the geographic limits or outside of the university community to 
obtain a library card for money.  There's no reason not to expand
this more generally.  (Privatizing libraries would also end the continual
arguing about whether a book should be allowed or not.  Lest you think
that this issue is entirely conservatives keeping smut out of libraries,
let me mention that San Franciso Public Library removed some of 
Rudyard Kipling's books for being "racist" at the request of the
well organized leftists.)

When I ran for Santa Monica City Council (*very* unsuccessfully) several
years ago, I did a little digging through the city budget.  I found that
less than 50% of the city's residents used the library, according to the
library's own figures.  (No, I don't mean they had library cards, I mean
*used* the library.)  Yet everyone in the city, and everyone who shopped
in Santa Monica, was paying taxes to support it.  Why should everyone be
forced to pay for a non-essential (though pleasant) service that only
a minority use?