Conversation

This year, I'm writing a check for nearly 50% of what I earned in 2020. I have it saved up in account, and I'm paying it in one lump sum to the government. It's a fucking brutal check. Imagine having 50% of your total yearly earnings in a bank account you have to give away.

578

Replying to

The percent is only "brutal" relative to what the other 50% will get you. To say "imagine having 50% taken" poisons the well so to speak. I had a friend who would purposely park illegally, and he would posit that it wasn't illegal it cost X (fine) to do. He could afford it.

Replying to

and

I could just as eaily say, for example. Imagine having 50% of your income taken in taxes, and still having £500k left (or any sum which is far beyond average and the livable threshold) Worded like that, it suddenly takes a very different meaning.

Aella

@Aella_Girl

Replying to

@Crimsonak1

It's still *mine*. It's money that I earned, and someone is taking it from me without my consent, under threat of force. The bar to make this 'okay' is *extremely* high.

12:05 AM · Mar 21, 2021

Replying to

Without your consent? It's absolutely with your consent. You don't have to live in the state you live in. Especially earning what you do. Even if I agreed it was fully against your consent, its still demonstrably better than someone low income with a lower percent.

Replying to

?? Can you imagine applying that argument to things you find unjust? "The government confiscated your possessions during a fruitless drug search. That was with your consent, because you chose to live in an area that allows this."

Show replies

Replying to

and

They do have your consent: you live in the USA as a US citizen voluntarily, right? You were able to earn that amount of money because you both directly and indirectly benefit from the social order we all maintain, and your benefit is larger than most, so costs more to maintain.

Replying to

and

To compare, you would not be able to earn what you earned, doing what you do, in say China. There’s a cost for the protection and opportunity you have here.

Show replies

Replying to

and

Would it be more okay if you agreed with everything they were going to spend *your* money on?

Replying to

Also if "mine" was really the contention here, why did you even mention percentage? Surely 1% would be just as egregious as 99%. Unless of course you realise that a certain percent is necessary for soceity and you just aren't sure on which is the correct amount.

Malcolm Ocean (56/100 vids)

Replying to

and

I don't want to disagree with the feeling here. Having said that: It does seems relevant to point out that the someone taking it from you is the same one that gets to mandate that the money has value in the first place and that you as a physical being = owner of this bank acct.

Replying to

and

Something can only be yours if the government says it’s yours. Property does not exist in the state of nature, its “rights” are just protections the government is enforcing with its violence so you don’t have to enforce them with your own. They’re just taking their loan back

Replying to

and

Yea it's yours, but you earned it using the infrastructure provided by the country you live in.