On Apr 24, 2005, at 4:29 PM, JDG wrote: At 03:01 PM 2/19/2005 -0800, Doug Pensinger wrote:
I understand that and have been supportive of many of the reforms you and others have mentioned. John's statement made it sound as if people receiving SS are living completely off of the largess of the working public when, in fact, they have at least paid _some_ of their dues. Only to the extent that paying taxes can be described as "paying dues." To what extent is it /not/ paying dues? Do you imagine that there are such things as "self-made men," whose businesses run entirely without using the tax-supported commons? That do not use the Internet, public airwaves, public roads, water treatment, sewage, whose stockholders are not protected by the SEC? Are their savings not protected by the FDIC? Taxes are the dues we pay to live in civilization. They're the dues of citizenship. Taxes are investment in the common wealth without which there could be no private wealth. Or, to quote a friend of ours, freedom isn't free. Dave _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
