The problem with young people

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The young lady who offered up the opinion below has not given me permission to tell the world her name or any other details which could be of interest. So, I merely share the comment:

I think that taxation is kind of like a loaded gun. If it is used wisely and carefully it can help a lot of people and the world. But if it is used all of the time and aggressively, it can do much more harm than good. I don't really pay taxes yet, so maybe my idea is not a good one.

Simply to make this record correct, this young lady does pay taxes, a lot of 'em but as she still lives with her moms and is in school, she doesn't pay a lot of attention to the taxes that inhabit her world and the taxes she really does pay. Such taxes are quite common and the vast majority of us also ignore them.

Sales tax. VAT - value added tax. Surcharges. Fuel tax. Etc. See chart above.

Most of us, when we set about the world's most monumental engineering project (raising hell) about taxes, we focus on income and property taxes. Looking at the pie chart above (just for Rebel!) that does make a lot of sense. Those two areas appear to account for the majority of the money we shell out to keep government (dys)functional.

Yep. I want one.

So set aside her comment about not paying taxes. Look at the rest of the comment.

Taxes = loaded gun

Left alone, it is totally harmless.

Lemme also interject here - There is no such thing as an unloaded gun. It does not exist. if you think an unloaded gun does exist, then you do not understand firearms.

The same rule applies to taxes. A tax must always be treated as if it dangerous.

Back to my young friend's observations:

Wise use = benefits
Irresponsible use = immense damage.

Danger and harm come in the use. As she points out, used wisely and with discretion, taxes are a good thing. It supports the military and provides veteran benefits. It pays the politicians (which I do believe is necessary). At the local level, taxes provide support for law enforcement, the court system, fire and EMS and so forth.

A gun can protect and feed a family. It does mine. My gun has put food on the table of many many many people I know.

Used improperly or without discretion and used by idiots we have things like foreign aid to countries that hate the United States. We have a Mexican drug war on our border, which combines the misuse of taxes and and guns. We have school shootings and an educational system that continues to slide backward.

Put taxes or a gun into the hands of an idiot and pandemonium ensues.

This is not the first wise observation my young friend has made. I do hope it won't be the last. In our political discussions, she brings a fresh and honest approach to a group of old curmudgeons (old enough to be her parents) who are generally so set in our ways we've become nearly immoveable objects. She is the irresistible force who trumps us more often than not.

I hope she never gets as cynical as the rest of us. Jen, dear, please keep your fresh attitude and never let the rest of us corrupt your thinking.

Now, if you'd like to join the debates and politics with us on Facebook, and get some insights from a young lady who's busy teaching her elders a few things or a google, look me up and add me. We have 2 rules: You may not insult anyone in the thread and you may not use excessive profanity.