The Ayn Rand Institute Accepts Federal Aid - PPP

Alright, I'm cool with shifting to a philosophical view on this stuff.

So, I agree with components of that, but disagree with other parts and the overall view on the situation as is.

First off - I don't understand what it means by "holding a blank cheque" on the individuals income. But I'm going to assume so I can further respond that it means that from that PoV the Govt assumes it will have that money and decides based on that.

If I'm wrong please let me know and I can adjust.

So, I do agree that the money in the hands of the individual is not the property of the Govt. The income earned by the individual is theirs as compensation of the theoretical labour he or she provided in return.

Now, to me, philosophically, taxes are the price we pay to live in society and to enjoy the fruits of the collective pooling of money for the betterment of society at the local, state (or Provincial in my case), and Federal Level.

Now, this is how I feel about the Concept of the system. Unfortunately, concept and reality don't always meet in the middle and the individuals who are voted into manage that concept aren't always the most altruistic.

Which, looking back, seems to line up with the views in the last paragraph.

I believe that we may actually agree in a very significant way. The divergence I can see is that I don't believe that any money kept from, or recieved from, the Govt is necessarily viewed as "keeping what's mine and therefore not an overall bad thing".

Govt as it exists depends on funding to function as it was designed, so while it's nice to feel like you got something back, or were sneaky enough to keep it without getting caught (if you would have otherwise had to pay out), you cause imbalances to the overall system that have to be balanced elsewhere, and likely not from the best source due to political considerations (where is the oversight of the Pentagon?).

 

Blank check as in those on the left you say "they have too much money anyway let's tax it away because it's not fair". No one I know of says government should not be funded or that that funding should not come through taxes. It is what is being funded that is the issue. Yes I believe my earned income whether through my labor of my investments is my money first. Any taxes I pay is money the government takes from me, or anyone else who pays taxes. I also believe one must exist and work within the system that exist.

For example federal flood insurance. Should the tax payers subsidize a federal flood insurance program. No I do not think so anymore than the federal government should pay the premium I have to pay for wind coverage on my home. The insured should pay for it at a market rate. Does that mean if I lived in a flood plane I have some obligation NOT to purchase the federal flood insurance? No because there is not other flood insurance BECAUSE of the federal insurance closes out the free market.

 

The only time I think Govt should be an active player in the market in any way is when its running a program and uses its purchasing power to make affordable the components necessary for socialized healthcare and public education.

I'm not big on it being in otherwise normal economic markets like property insurance. The reflective exception would be to offer a reasonable cost alternative to help stabilize a near monopolistic market which would be a massive success if Govt didn't , but I'd much prefer that the Govt sticks to its role as a referee to the market vs a player and actually enforce standards and regulations without being used as a tool to enrich a few and leave the rest the scraps.

 

Hypocricy is a universal human trait.

 

At some point, corporations are going to have pay people at the bottom run enough money to live on, to lower the number of people have no choice but to seek assistance.

Assistance for the under paid cost taxpayers billions, and, as such, constitutes a de facto welfare for corporations, not to mention things like Amazon making billlons and paying no taxes, and oil companies making billions and paying no taxes, and churches engaging in businesses that pay no taxes ( like Scientology )

And if the corporations would treat the lower rung fairly, and they were paid a livable wage, they wouldn't have to go on assistance.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/clareo...-2-billion-in-public-assistance/#579d5061720b

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/03/why-amazon-paid-no-federal-income-tax.html#:~:text=Why Amazon paid no 2018 US federal income tax,-Published Thu, Apr&text=In 2018, Amazon paid $0,rebate from the federal government.

About twice as many of the largest U.S. companies reported they didn’t owe taxes in 2018 compared with previous years, a partial result of the 2017 Trump tax law, according to a report.
https://publicintegrity.org/inequal...cuts/you-paid-taxes-these-corporations-didnt/

Scientology rakes it in on real estate investments, but pays no tax
https://fortune.com/2015/04/08/scientology-tax-exempt/

Not to mention Trump stealing millions from his campaign donors
https://www.forbes.com/sites/michel...-donors-to-his-private-business/#554e74c735cc

 

You have a belief that working for a corporation and selling your labor means your employer has obligations outside the terms of the employment agreement. A nanny. A sugardaddy.

We disagree.

If I pay you 15 bucks for an hour of your time to come trim my bushes, that is the extent of our agreement. I have no further obligation to you, nor you to me.

If I hire somebody at $10 an hour for 40 hours of work, that is the extent of my obligation. They don't have to accept the position on those terms, and certainly it would be wrong for them to up the ante and make me responsible for their perception of a living wage or some other artificial standard after we negotiated employment.

If they want more money, they need to obtain marketable skills that demand a higher wage or work more hours.

I have no obligation to your perception of what is an acceptable standard of living or any other random requirement.

I'm an employer. Not somebody's daddy.

 

Ayn Rand Institute

****ing hilarious hypocrites