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Originally Posted by barrowaj
But after having read your posts, what we are really talking about here is "what is the purpose of government?" The libertarian viewpoint (which Praxus seems to argue but denies) essentially holds that the job of government is to protect people's personal property rights. That's a fine view, but it isn't sufficient for making America as good as it can be. There are plenty of other reasons for the government to regulate trade, protect the environment, and protect its citizens.
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None of them valid, however.
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I do sympathize with Praxus's assertion that taxation is coercive, and therefore immoral. However there is no other practical way to raise the money that government needs to acheive its goals. Lotteries and taxes for people running for office would not generate enough revenue.
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http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2005/tables.html
http://www.usdoj.gov/jmd/2005summary/html/p2-17.htm#5
http://www.va.gov/vetdata/Geographic...tion/index.htm
DOD- 429 Billion
DOJ- 22.2 Billion
DOVA-16 Billion
Total- Less then 500 billion, probably a little over when you factor in the cost of Congress, the Supreme Court, and the President.
A 5% contract free, combined with lotteries would accomplish this type of fund raising.