From: Ascmjk@aol.com
Date: Sun Aug 07 2005 - 00:42:13 BST
In a message dated 8/5/2005 2:22:37 PM Central Standard Time, ajb102@psu.edu
writes:
But be cautious here, Jon. You are coming very close to saying that wealth
is an
indicator of intellectual value. Hence, poor people are intellectually
worthless. One person on this list feels this way, do you as well?
Hi Arlo...I'm singling this part out because it seems that you think my post
was a reflection of the above belief, which I do not hold. I think wealth
has nothing to do with an individuals intellectual value, just as someone's
physical body has nothing to do with it. A person can be physically out of shape
but mentally very fit, mental body builders, if you will.
I think that we need to take a balanced view. Any class, upper middle lower
can have irresponsible spending habits. The thing is, when a government spends
irresponsibly, with the money you say is has a moral right to take is some
situations, it's irresponsibility has a greater capacity to harm greater
numbers of people than a single individuals irresponsibility. An individual
squanders his own money, a government squanders everyone's. This is a legitimate
concern for those who decry high taxes.
I personally believe government should have the revenue necessary to keep
infrastructure in good condition, and to pay the EMTs. But the question is how
much is needed? I'm suggesting lots of our social problems could be remedied
with better thinking rather than more money. School systems are a fine example
of society throwing money at a problem and in many cases its like shoving
cash down a garbage disposal. There are some pretty strong theories to suggest
a flat tax could keep the infrastructure strong and the EMTs paid, for
instance. When dealing with the morality of intellectual decisions, we must take
into account the practical ramifications of its implementation on the lower
levels.
And people should have some degree of freedom deciding what money means to
them. They can't directly control what effect it has on their body or on
society, but they should be able to decide for themselves how important money is
to them. Hence, I strongly belief money is NOT an indicator of intelligence.
Lots of smart poor people and dumb rich people and vice versa. I'm saying that
if a poor person should be able to use his or her money however they chose
(after taxes of course). We should not make people give according to their
means, any more than we should make strong people do a certain amount of
physical labor, or any more than we should make very smart people teach school.
I do think people should have control of their money, just as they should
have greater control than they now do over their own bodies (like deciding what
to put in and take out).
Jon
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