Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

That's an interesting philosophical progression...


It's just combining the fact that the suburban lifestyle is subsidized, and the libertarian meme of "taxation is theft".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Nw6qyyrTeI


You're going from one extreme to another.

Taxes are the price of civilization, we just need to be better about using them.


Most libertarians believe some taxation is necessary.

I was hoping that my phrasing made it obvious that I don't believe in the most extreme interpretation of that slogan. But I do believe there's truth in it.

Back to the infrastructure cost problem. I painted an insidious picture. Of course suburbanites are not mustache-twirling villains. They're just asking the government to maintain the infrastructure they use.

The problem is they're not willing to (vote for politicians who make them) pay for the true cost. When the cost is borne by other people, how is this not robbery with majority votes (and thus state power)?


This video, also from NJB, describes such politcal dynamics in Toronto.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkO-DttA9ew

> ...look at the map of his election victory. This was the suburbs politically dominating the will of old Toronto.

> ...because he advocated for more cars, he had the support of Toronto's suburbs. In other words he fed the addiction.

To quote George Bernard Shaw, "A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul."




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: