Taxing Ourselves

I read an article a while back praising Seattle for being such a fine, progressive place where the citizens are willing to tax themselves for all sorts of civic improvements and “green” causes. Our city about to have a bond election, and I expect to hear local boosters talking about the need to tax ourselves for benefit of the community. Such talk is commonplace.

However it is completely wrong. People who vote for tax increases are not voting to tax themselves. If that were what they were doing, an election would be superfluous. All that would be needed would be a sign-up day where each person wishing to tax himself would be able to make a binding subscription of the amount he was to be assessed under the proposed tax. No, the purpose of such elections is not for people to vote to tax themselves, but for them to vote to tax their neighbors who disagree with them. It is a means for members of a group of people who want something to push some of the cost of achieving their desire onto unwilling people with other priorities by force. Fine talk of democracy and the will of the people notwithstanding, it is stealing, carefully masked and dolled up stealing to be sure, but still stealing.

Just as anyone who eats meat should be willing to kill the animal if necessary, anyone voting for a new or increased tax should be willing to shake his neighbors down at gunpoint to collect it, if necessary. That should set a high standard for bond and tax elections, one that few proposals will meet.