Adam Smith. Communist

[Sava]

The subjects of every state ought to contribute towards the support of the government, as nearly as possible, in proportion to their respective abilities; that is, in proportion to the revenue which they respectively enjoy under the protection of the state.

The necessaries of life occasion the great expense of the poor. They find it difficult to get food, and the greater part of their little revenue is spent in getting it. The luxuries and vanities of life occasion the principal expense of the rich . . . . It is not very unreasonable that the rich should contribute to the public expense, not only in proportion to their revenue, but something more than in that proportion.

oh snap

Discuss.

[kentonio]

It's only very recently that poor people became stupid enough to think some form of socialism is automatically a bad thing.

[Sava]

It's hilarious watching them argue against policies in their best interests.

[kentonio]

Reg was the perfect example of this in the other thread.

"ZOMG I pay so much tax, but Sweden would be so much worse!!"
"But if you had free healthcare, you'd probably have just as much money."
"Yes, but then ZOMG I'd be paying for other peoples healthcare too!! EVIL COMMUNISM!!!!"

[The Mad Monk]

"In proportion" means just that. "not very unreasonable" shows he recognizes that there are legitimate arguments against the sliding scale.

[kentonio]

You made it as far as the second paragraph right?

[regexcellent]

As usual Kentonio is mistaken. It's plainly obvious that I would have less wealth, both because supply and demand dictates that healthcare must either cost more in Sweden or be of starkly inferior quality (from what I understand, both) and the same is true of higher education.

My objection isn't the communism of it per se, but that I would be less wealthy (and so would everyone else) because of it.

[The Mad Monk]

You made it as far as the second paragraph right?

Yes.

[kentonio]

As usual Kentonio is mistaken. It's plainly obvious that I would have less wealth, both because supply and demand dictates that healthcare must either cost more in Sweden or be of starkly inferior quality (from what I understand, both) and the same is true of higher education.

That is absolutely hilarious, please tell me you're not actually that stupid.

[regexcellent]

Kentonio's stupidity revolves around the fact that he seems to think that somehow, taking money from lots of people and putting it in a big pot and then distributing it back out to everyone in arbitrary measure somehow increases the amount of wealth for everyone as opposed to just inefficiently moving it around.

[Sava]

Modern conservatism is hilarious. It really is like a mental illness. They ignore key concepts and principles from belief systems they cherish... whether it be Christianity or Capitalism. It's really a miracle these people can live independently without some sort of professional assistance with basic tasks like ass-wiping.

[regexcellent]

On the contrary, it's the liberals who think people should live without personal responsibility or consequences.

[Sava]

You should be appreciative of the fact that I don't believe you should be a victim of your own stupidity.

[kentonio]

Kentonio's stupidity revolves around the fact that he seems to think that somehow, taking money from lots of people and putting it in a big pot and then distributing it back out to everyone in arbitrary measure somehow increases the amount of wealth for everyone as opposed to just inefficiently moving it around.

Let's try putting this in a really simple way. Let me know if you're still struggling and I'll provide crayons.

A group of 100 people try and negotiate a contract with a company to supply services. Meanwhile a group of one million people try and negotiate a contract for those same services. Which of those groups would you expect to pay the highest rate per person?

For bonus credits, if those million people are the sole customer of the company, while the group of 100 are one of thousands, which do you think will have the higher leverage when it comes to things like future price negotiations?

[The Mad Monk]

How many people are needed to insure that everyone in the million are getting what they need?