"Dan Moos" wrote in message
...
And I just don't see that the average successful business is out to
exploit
the poor.

They aren't. It just happens that, absent rule-making to the contrary,
that's how it works out. Businesses do what is economically best for them,
and usually only what's best economically in the short run. It's not that
they intend to exploit the poor. It's just that that's how it generally
works out.

As for the rest of the debate, I didn't mean to imply I was going to
continue the debate. I just wanted to point out some reasons why the tax
system is the way it is, and why the answer to what's "fair" isn't as simple
as some people believe.

One big sticking point (one which you've noticed) is that people vary
ideologically with respect to the role they expect their government to play.
If you ask 100 people what they think government should do for them, you'll
get 100 different answers. Everyone draws the line somewhere different.
But for now, the majority seems to be happy with government interfering in
all sorts of areas of life and writing social policy in the form of the tax
code.

Finally, keep in mind that while I'm sure you'd rather each person be
permitted to make their own decisions with respect to how their money will
be spent, in reality that just never works. Choosing that approach is the
same as just deciding that government won't do anything at all. There
aren't enough unselfish people around to fund the genuine need, never mind
the need of people who will exploit a system like that in their favor.

If you're interesting in learning more about what wealthy people do in
absence of restrictions on their wealth and how they use it, read up on the
big industry tycoons of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Railroad, steel,
oil, mining, etc. The more money a person has, the easier it is for them to
exploit the people without money. Historically, this is what wealthy people
have done. I've seen nothing to suggest that, in absence of a government
willing to take more money from the wealthy and use it to help the poor,
things would be any different today.

The main reason we need government is that human nature is not conducive to
a "fair" society (whatever you think "fair" means).

Pete