All or Nothing

I have a friend, a native Texan, who is a pretty staunch republican. He's lived in Australia for the past few years. He really likes living in Australia, but he often rants against the socialist nature of the country. I've always found his cognitive dissonance somewhat amusing, and informative. He likes the people of Australia, he likes the country, he likes the way things are run, but he stumbles when he sees the taxes he pays, and when he hears the word "socialist" applied to the government. Now this is not a man who is hurting for money - he makes a lot of it. Even after the socialist taxes he pays, he makes a lot more money than most of the people that I know. So the taxes may look ugly on the pay stub, but he's not having any trouble paying the bills.

Unemployment in Australia is comparable to the US. Poverty levels in Australia are lower than they are in the US (though one does have to account for the different systems of determining "poverty"). By and large, people live well and happily in Australia. And the country does have a working safety net for those who are poor. So what is wrong with socialism? It seems to not be an undue burden for the wealthy, and it provides much needed services for the poor.

Tax rates in Australia range from 18% - 45%. Tax rates in the US range from 15% - 35%. So, ya, we're a little lower here. Rush Limbaugh actually claimed that residents of New York City pay more taxes than Europeans. (See Story #7 on this link). So the question is, if we are going to pay all those taxes - taxes which turn out to be not dramatically lower than the "socialists", what are we getting in return?

The US is the wealthiest country in the world. So even with lower tax rates than some counties, the government must be pulling in much more tax revenue. But for all that revenue, we have only the weakest social safety net. We have absurd degrees of government involvement in private business and private lives. So the way I see it, we pay taxes at a socialist rate and we have big brother watching us. Those are the bad parts of socialism. What are the good parts of socialism? Free or cheap health care, employment security, unemployment benefits. The US is a lot weaker in those areas than those counties we call "socialist".

I would gladly do away with many of the "services" that the government offers us. But I propose that if we must suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous tax rates and government intervention, we should have the benefit of a comfortable safety net - or rather, a hammock, on which to rest.

If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace. We seek not your counsel, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.

- Samuel Adams