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Re:Income-sharing agreements let students trade future earni... by ChrisClark on Wednesday April 10, 2019 @11:51AM (#19625890)
And this is exactly what's wrong with the US right now. No one cares to help anyone else.

Even in healthcare! "I have my money, if they die it's because they chose to be poor."

Re:Income-sharing agreements let students trade future earni... by instaheat on Wednesday April 10, 2019 @12:05PM (#19626025)
Chris, I understand what you are saying. Of course we care to help other people. Collectively, the US might be seen as "selfish" but I think at a certain point, you have to understand you do not want to harm yourself just to help someone else. I really feel for people who will go to great lengths to help others, even if it reduces the quality of their own life just because it's the "right thing to do"

My mother-in-law is like this. She would let a convicted murderer that was down on their luck move in with her because "everyone deserves a roof over their head"

Again, I GET IT. But do you understand why some may have these selfish viewpoints?

Re:Income-sharing agreements let students trade future earni... by danans on Wednesday April 10, 2019 @07:09PM (#19629590)
> but I think at a certain point, you have to understand you do not want to harm yourself just to help someone else.

What's special about the US among highly developed nations is that we've convinced ourselves that most of us would be harmed, when it's likely that only a very well-off minority would be harmed (where "harmed" means "be slight less well-off, but still well off").

Re:Income-sharing agreements let students trade future earni... by instaheat on Wednesday April 10, 2019 @09:38PM (#19630392)
You're making it completely about monetary value. I'm talking about people taking time away from their own families, going to extreme lengths just to help another human being. That's crazy to me.
Re:Income-sharing agreements let students trade future earni... by danans on Wednesday April 10, 2019 @11:45PM (#19630990)
That's crazy to me too, but it is also so rare that it is irrelevant to questions about societal resource distribution.
Re:Income-sharing agreements let students trade future earni... by mrguyorama on Wednesday April 10, 2019 @02:24PM (#19627424)
>Again, I GET IT. But do you understand why some may have these selfish viewpoints?

A complete lack of empathy for fellow people

Re:Income-sharing agreements let students trade future earni... by instaheat on Wednesday April 10, 2019 @09:33PM (#19630367)
Cue the violins.
Re:Income-sharing agreements let students trade future earni... by Jotra7 on Wednesday April 10, 2019 @12:09PM (#19626079)
>Again, I GET IT. But do you understand why some may have these selfish viewpoints?

Psychopathy.

Re:Income-sharing agreements let students trade future earni... by instaheat on Wednesday April 10, 2019 @09:34PM (#19630370)
Sound analysis from one sentence.
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Re:Income-sharing agreements let students trade future earni... by Shish2k on Wednesday April 10, 2019 @12:20PM (#19626180)
"Taken by force" is a strange (very American?) way to put it.

As a European, I'm happy to pay taxes because it's a convenient and efficient way to get money out of my bank account and into the hands of people who need it more than me; I'm helping my fellow countrymen with literally zero effort on my part, which makes my country a better place for me to live in. If we cancelled taxes and required people to make individual donations, I would still want to, but I would probably be too busy / lazy to do it :P

(Not to say that the government does a PERFECTLY efficient job of distributing taxes to those in need, I actually disagree with much of their spending - but on the whole it does a considerably better job than I would if I had to do it all myself)

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Re:Income-sharing agreements let students trade future earni... by Shish2k on Thursday April 11, 2019 @08:46AM (#19633828)
> Because you will go to jail if you won't.

Firstly, please don't put words into other people's mouths, it is very disingenuous.

As to the actual point - I'll also go to jail if I murder someone. But I wouldn't say "the government is using force to stop me from murdering people", "the reason to avoid murdering people is because you will go to jail if you do" - I'm happy to go around not-murdering people of my own free will, because I believe that society is a better place when we don't murder each other.

> Calling at least a third of your earnings "literally zero effort" is a bit disingenuous.

The GOAL is to spend a third of my money, so I'm not counting that as effort - taxes take a third of my earnings in between my employer and my bank account, so by the time my monthly pay reaches my bank account, it has all been taken care of.

Compare to the charity approach, where I need to research, make decisions, do bank transfers, keep up-to-date with the changing needs of a changing society... If I want to do a not-half-assed job of it, then I'm going to be spending so much time on it that it cancels out the benefit. A few people organising national spending at scale, even if they are only barely competent, is more efficient than everybody doing it individually.

Re:Income-sharing agreements let students trade future earni... by quentindemetz on Wednesday April 10, 2019 @12:20PM (#19626172)
« People in Europe » have elected politicians who have enacted these tax policies. Money is not being taken by force...
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Re:Income-sharing agreements let students trade future earni... by SketchySeaBeast on Wednesday April 10, 2019 @05:54PM (#19629162)
Could you provide an alternative to this "violent" taxation with real world, contemporary examples of a system that provides the benefits of a modern nation?
Re:Income-sharing agreements let students trade future earni... by Retra on Wednesday April 10, 2019 @12:20PM (#19626175)
You're assuming people don't see taxes as the preferred means of providing aid to those that need it.