--- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], "Jim Sharkey" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > JDG wrote: > >Noticing that nobody bothered to respond to my last questions.... > > I can't speak for everyone else, but I personally don't know much > about a progressive income tax's Constitutionality.
The progressive income tax is a classic case of the State granting different privileges to certain favored groups. > Regarding rights > vs. privileges, I'm not sure I understand the difference, especially > since one of dictionary.com's definitions of "privilege" is: > "any of the rights common to all citizens under a modern > constitutional government" > > If you could expand upon what you meant by "why isn't this ruling a > question of privileges and not rights?" maybe I'd take you up on it, > though I can't promise anything. I'm not quite as into politics as > most of our compatriots. I think that one has a basic right to liberty. I don't think that one has a basic right to file a joint tax return. For example, I would have no problem with the Supreme Court ruling that a constitutional right to liberty protects the right of two people of the same sex to live together, and to engage in mutually consensually activity in the privacy of their own bedrooms. I think that's covered by the right to liberty. Privileges, to me, consist of artificial legal benefits. Tax rates for example. Streamlined procedures for obtaining joint title to property and other legal recognitions, for example. > Further, I would note that you and everyone else here has, in any > number of discussions in the past, chosen to ignore some questions > or comments on any topic. This may be tacitly ceding a given point, > or (as in my case this time) not really understanding the question, > but there may be other reasons of which I'm not really cognizant. Point taken. I didn't mean to imply any fault of charachter upon those who had responded, but to draw attention to what I felt were some valid questions/responses. JDG _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
