MSimon wrote:Taxes are either voted in or defeated at the polls by the people.
So if there is a vote it is not theft?
If I can get the votes to murder you it is not murder?
And yeah. I like my Lunch Naked.
In the US slavery was voted on. I guess that it was then perfectly all right. As long as we had a vote.
Don't get me wrong. I think taxation has its place. But it is extorted at the point of a gun.
Mao was correct: Political power comes from the barrel of a gun.
Our George Washington expressed it in a more genteel manner:
"Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." Geo. Washington
I almost missed this post, glad I didn't.
When people voted for slavery it turned out to be a single group of people who did that. White people.
When you allow every legal citizen to vote you reduce the risk of allowing such atrocities to occur. Our system isn't perfect but we can do our best as a collective whole to make it as good as possible.
Also, that getting the votes to "murder" me line here's my response. If 51% of the nation wants to kill me, it must be for a good reason.

I mean what did I do to have put on the ballot to kill my ass??
But seriously, murder is illegal and the constitution that you hold so dear protects my right to life as a citizen so their cant be a "murder ballot".
Nice try-