🚀 go-pugleaf

Travis Corcoran (tjic@alta.openmarket.com) wrote:

> Bill Gates receives the same legitimate services from government that
> your or I do: an army to protect us from external agressors, a police
> force, a court system that resolves conflict over contracts, etc.

This is completely false. In fact, Bill Gates benefits a whole lot more
from government services than your average worker. 

For example, while the average worker benefits from the use of the
streets and highways by being able to drive his or her car over them,
Microsoft's fleet of delivery trucks make much more use of the roads.

Similarly, while the police may provide protection for the average
worker's house or apartment, the police provide much more protection
to the many Microsoft offices around the country.

And while the average worker benefits by having free primary and
secondary education for his or her kids, Bill Gates benefits from
free education for his entire work force.

Bill Gates can get a meeting with any powerful political figure in
the land. Anyone who thinks that your average worker can get this
type of response is mad.

One of Bill Gates greatest government services is the protection of
his intellectual property around the world through such treaties as
GATT. And the legal structure of the corporation protects Bill
from personal responsibility for the actions of Microsoft while
still allowing him the personal benefits thereof.

> Come to think of it, it's not clear why Bill Gates should have to pay
> any more taxes than I should.  The mere fact that he *CAN* do so does
> not make it any more right that to it would be to draft big strong
> guys into the military for 10 years, while letting smaller people not
> serve...

This is poor analogy.

> Come to think of it, what would be fair would be a true FLAT tax (not
> a flat percentage, but a flat fee): Bill Gates pays $4k a year to the
> government, I pay $4k a year to the government, and you pay $4k a year
> to the government (or somthing alone those lines).  Now *THAT* sounds
> fair.  We all get the same number of votes, we all have the same
> freedoms protected by the Bill of Rights, we all get judged by the
> same judicial system....we should all pay the same taxes.

There is a very good reason for a progressive tax system. The rich
benefit individually from government much more than the poor or the
middle class. 

> --
> TJIC (Travis J.I. Corcoran)  http://www.openmarket.com/personal/tjic/index.html

Keith