From: zeborah@gmail.com   
      
   David Harmon  wrote:   
      
   > On Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:05:48 +1200 in rec.arts.sf.misc,   
   > zeborah@gmail.com (Zeborah) wrote,   
      
   > >  How do you get from "A world where these actions were rare   
   > >would be a terrible world" to "A person who doesn't do these actions is   
   > >a terrible person"?   
   > >   
   > >I mean, I see that the statements are not *opposites*, but they're sure   
   > >as hell not synonymous.   
   >   
   > A world of terrible persons would be a terrible world.   
      
   But a terrible world need not be composed of terrible persons.   
      
   > Only once did someone literally point a gun at me and demand the   
   > contents of my wallet, while offering me nothing in exchange.  That   
   > is plenty terrible enough for me,   
      
   Certainly I think being pickpocketed was far pleasanter than that would   
   be.   
      
   >but it would be much more terrible   
   > if it happened frequently, as you say.  (Of course it happens   
   > frequently, figuratively speaking, e.g. every April 15.)   
      
   I've really never understood the point of view that tax is in any way   
   analogous to theft.  In New Zealand we get quite a lot in exchange for   
   our various taxes:  education, hospitals, road, well maintained parks   
   and conservation areas, fresh water supply (including tankers roaming   
   the streets when rain-induced landslide breaks the water supply) and   
   sewage disposal, public transport, the assurance that if we lose our job   
   we need not starve too badly, libraries and museums, police, fire   
   service....  To be sure we also get things that I don't personally use   
   or want, but someone wants them and doesn't want some of the things that   
   I want, so it evens out; it's the sort of compromise one makes when   
   living with other people.   
      
   Zeborah   
   --   
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