"Imagine" ... is virtually the Communist manifesto, even
though I'm not particularly a Communist and I do not belong
to any movement.
—John Lennon
All I am saying is that I think --again, this is my belief-- that the future of humanity probably lies in no countries and governments reduced to simple administrative tasks.
I have no desire to be at war with some guy in Iran or Afghanistan any more than a family man there wants to be at war with me. Governments start these things and rope us all into them.
I mean, look at World War 1. Why did it even start?
http://www.firstworldwar.com/origins/causes.htm
Governments. Not the people. Governments.
Thirty seven million casualties.
http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/resources/casdeath_pop.html
Did the farmer or doctor in Germany or Russia want to go to war? Probably not. It was their stupid governments that triggered the entire thing and tens of millions died for it.
And that's my point. Governments as we have known them for the last century or two need to mutate into something very different in order for us to evolve further as a society and culture. We can't have the kinds of things you are seeing around the world happen to us. Nobody "owns" me or you. Therefore, the whole concept of governments telling and dictating what we can and cannot do is at odds with what I might call "natural" laws.
I, we, hire government workers to do things for us that have community scope. Build roads. Run the local school. Upholds laws that we agree upon, etc. Beyond that, things are completely upside-down. No government should have the power to declare war. Not any more. If anything, the people should reserve that power and exercise it through voting. The same is true of a myriad of other roles government plays today.
Take China as an example: Over a billion people allowed a handful of people in Beijing to keep them from having more than one child. Over a billion people. Really? What is it about the human condition that we allow such things to happen. The point isn't to argue about the merit of the decision in the context of population explosion. I believe that those things take care of themselves one way or the other. The point here is that a society of over a billion people somehow allows a handful of communist leaders to control their reproductive rights. That's just wrong. If you allow that, of course they are going to come into your schools and indoctrinate the shit out of your children.
Here's another example. Times are tough right. Let's say you are unemployed and have to feed your family. You happen to own a fishing pole and live near a lake or stream. Here in California you can't go fishing and feed your family without a fishing license. You have to buy a fishing license in order to engage in the most fundamental act a human being can engage: hunt for food in order to survive. Really? Yes, really? You are not allowed --by government-- to fish, no matter the circumstances. If they catch you fishing without a license it can cost thousands of dollars and possibly end up doing time in jail. In what alternate reality does this make any sense whatsoever.
OK, I understand about conservation, etc., etc. Still, it is my right, as a human being on this planet, to hunt, fish and farm in order to feed myself and my family. No government should have the power to prevent me from doing so.
If John Lennon wrote that song thinking about communism then I have to find other words to describe some of my ideas, because communism is far, far from it. When I read the words to the song I don't interpret communism in there but rather people living freely WITHOUT or with minimal government.
Now, before anyone goes off on me. Admittedly the problem is very complex and, if it can even happen, it would take centuries of cultural evolution in order to reach even a portion of what I am talking about. Take religion as an example. It's got to go. That will, I am sad to say, take a very long time. The same is true of the attachment to the concept of countries. That's got to go too. Earth. One people. True freedom. Not government subjugation. Government must be reduced to administrative workers who work for us, not against us.
What is your government stopping you from doing? Why is that a problem?
> Property taxes.
Property taxes are a compromise. They rob the rich (especially the rich who are sitting on assets but not working them), which makes it easier for the poor to build a bit of wealth.
It's like putting a time limit on patents. Sure, it sucks to have your wealth stolen, but it may create a wealthier society.
I can't keep my home unless I pay the government a tax.
I can't travel out of my country unless I present the government with documents I can only get from my government.
I can't prevent my government from waging war.
I can't prevent my government from causing untold economic damage world wide through moronic laws.
And more.
> Property taxes are a compromise. They rob the rich (especially the rich who are sitting on assets but not working them), which makes it easier for the poor to build a bit of wealth.
Sorry but I find all "rob the rich" arguments down-right repugnant. No government or individual should have the right to take what I have. Period. I am not rich, but, as a long time entrepreneur I have done well. And I have also faltered, and I have also been down in the mud. I have suffered, struggled and recovered only to come out of it better off in the end. At no point have I ever thought about "sticking it to the rich". Nah. You own your own destiny. If someone is a lazy fuck who wants others to provide for them, then, well, communism or socialism is the answer. This concept of "fair share" is such bullshit. Why does someone with more money have to pay more? Because they have more money? Circular argument, I guess. If they want to be kind and contribute more money then that's their choice. Otherwise, we all share alike. If we have to build a new road that will benefit all, we split the costs evenly. That's fair. It isn't fair to point to the guy with more money (not rich, just more money) and make them pay more.
See, this argument gets lost very easily because people tend to talk about the rich. Let's say that you make 50% more than your neighbor. Nobody is rich. He makes $100K per year and you make $150K per year. Well, this liberal concept of "fair share" means that you should pay 50% more taxes at the gas station when you get gas. That's your "fair share". Because you make more money. Not fair, you say? Damn right. Fair share, if you are going to be reasonable, means that you either split it equally or you base it upon consumption. It does not mean that those with more money get clobbered over the head. The formula has to be universally applicable. You can't say that the alternate-reality fairness rule starts to kick-in after, say, $200K. If the rule isn't fair at $100K it sure as heck ain't fair at $1 million.
Back to property taxes. I recognize that governments need money to run. I get it. The issue here is that I ought to be able to own my home. Free and clear. Forever. By taxing my home this is impossible. The government, in effect, almost "owns" my home. If I stop paying property taxes I loose the house. That should not be possible. You work hard your entire life to buy a house. Once it is paid for it should be yours forever. It should be impossible for government to take it away from you. That's my argument, plain and simple. It isn't any more complicated than that. I want to own my home free and clear. Government can go get the funds they need through some other means.
Here's another example. Let's say that I own a piece of land. And, that, over a period of twenty years, I build my own home on this land. Brick by brick. Nail by nail. Through my own efforts and that of my family, my kids, we physically build our own home. Sure, it took twenty years but we built it and it is 100% paid for.
But, wait a minute, you can't do that. Not without paying the government for a building permit before you even begin.
Why do I have to pay government for a permit to build a shelter for my family?
OK, let's say you play along.
What's the first thing that will happen in the US once you are done?
The property will get be appraised based on the value with the home you built and you will owe the government taxes for the rest of your life.
Then, when you die, your kids will have to pay a huge tax bill to the government based on the value of the property.
And, after that, your kids will have to continue to pay an annual property tax to the government based on the new value of the property.
Despite the twenty year effort and family sacrifice that went into building your home, the government has its hooks into your property for, well, eternity. If you or any of your successors falters at all, the government gets to take it all.
That is wrong. That should not be possible.
Now, I know that I am solidly floating on utopia here and that what I am thinking about might require centuries of change. No issue there.
I just feel that almost every nation on this planet is enslaved, in some way, by its own government --whether put into place by the people, by force or inheritance (royals).
I happen to think that most people on this planet are good people and that most of us want pretty much the same things: To live a good and peaceful life, have a family, provide for them and do the things we enjoy doing.
Governments, on the other hand, are all about power and control. And they, invariably, take liberties that we, the people, might not want to take. They get us into wars and conflicts, they enslave people, they engage in genocide and they create antagonisms that might not exist.
I am not so naive as to not understand that some people will behave badly. History is full of these examples.
You take a country like China. Over a billion people. And a few dozen (or less) call the shots? Why?
Take the United States. Do you realize that you can never really own your home here? Why? Property taxes. That's why. If you don't pay them the government can take your home away from you, even if you paid all loans and have no debt. Why is our government entitled to tax our homes? And why are they entitled to take our homes away? If you really think about it and make an effort to clear your mind of any preconceived notions or indoctrination it becomes clear that this is but one example of the lunacy that government has become.
I think that humanity needs to evolve away from these systems if we are going to survive and thrive. Of course there are too many issues to even attempt to list them here. Like I said, maybe in a few centuries. John Lennon said it best: