So the cost of government is the life you would have had if you had been able to keep the full value of your work. A simple way to hold government partially accountable for this cost is to tell your children the real reason why they can't have things. When your daughter asks for a pony, don't tell her that it's too expensive; after all, if you had your last twenty years of tax money back, she could have ten ponies. Tell her the truth: that the IRS has taken her pony and given it to an evil dictator in North Korea who will probably eat it. While you're at it, remind her that every time you go to work, you are helping pay for all the dictators in the world to buy more barbed wire. —Bill Walker, "Taxation, Subsidy, and Morality; The Cost of Government",
I apologize for not having any valid input about this, all I can do is giggle and really consider the possibility and opportunity to say this to my sons in the future. "Honey the IRS has taken your pony and given it to an evil dictator in North Korea who will probably eat it"
I've often promised my daughter ponies! Even when she was only 2 months old, I'd tell her "if you stop crying, daddy will get you a pony!"
The important thing is not qualify the statement in any way. i.e. when the pony will be obtained, the state of the pony, or, for that matter, what exactly constitutes "a pony".
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Date: 2004-03-13 12:57 am (UTC)-or-
So the cost of government is the life you would have had if you had been able to keep the full value of your work. A simple way to hold government partially accountable for this cost is to tell your children the real reason why they can't have things. When your daughter asks for a pony, don't tell her that it's too expensive; after all, if you had your last twenty years of tax money back, she could have ten ponies. Tell her the truth: that the IRS has taken her pony and given it to an evil dictator in North Korea who will probably eat it. While you're at it, remind her that every time you go to work, you are helping pay for all the dictators in the world to buy more barbed wire.
—Bill Walker, "Taxation, Subsidy, and Morality; The Cost of Government",
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Date: 2004-03-13 04:44 am (UTC)But I wannnnnnnnnnntttt aaaaa ponnnyyyyy!!!
Date: 2004-03-13 01:11 am (UTC)I'm attached to born_stubborn BTW. :)
Re: But I wannnnnnnnnnntttt aaaaa ponnnyyyyy!!!
Date: 2004-03-13 04:25 am (UTC)You know, I think they have an operation for that now.
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Date: 2004-03-23 03:46 am (UTC)I've often promised my daughter ponies! Even when she was only 2 months old, I'd tell her "if you stop crying, daddy will get you a pony!"
The important thing is not qualify the statement in any way. i.e. when the pony will be obtained, the state of the pony, or, for that matter, what exactly constitutes "a pony".
Kind of like software licenses.