Posted on 12/30/2004 1:17:50 PM PST by bruinbirdman
Our money is not the government's to give.
As the death toll mounts in the areas hit by Sunday's tsunami in southern Asia, private organizations and individuals are scrambling to send out money and goods to help the victims. Such help may be entirely proper, especially considering that most of those affected by this tragedy are suffering through no fault of their own.
The United States government, however, should not give any money to help the tsunami victims. Why? Because the money is not the government's to give.
Every cent the government spends comes from taxation. Every dollar the government hands out as foreign aid has to be extorted from an American taxpayer first. Year after year, for decades, the government has forced American taxpayers to provide foreign aid to every type of natural or man-made disaster on the face of the earth: from the Marshall Plan to reconstruct a war-ravaged Europe to the $15 billion recently promised to fight AIDS in Africa to the countless amounts spent to help the victims of earthquakes, fires and floods--from South America to Asia. Even the enemies of the United States were given money extorted from American taxpayers: from the billions given away by Clinton to help the starving North Koreans to the billions given away by Bush to help the blood-thirsty Palestinians under Arafat's murderous regime.
The question no one asks about our politicians' "generosity" towards the world's needy is: By what right? By what right do they take our hard-earned money and give it away?
The reason politicians can get away with doling out money that they have no right to and that does not belong to them is that they have the morality of altruism on their side. According to altruism--the morality that most Americans accept and that politicians exploit for all it's worth--those who have more have the moral obligation to help those who have less. This is why Americans--the wealthiest people on earth--are expected to sacrifice (voluntarily or by force) the wealth they have earned to provide for the needs of those who did not earn it. It is Americans' acceptance of altruism that renders them morally impotent to protest against the confiscation and distribution of their wealth. It is past time to question--and to reject--such a vicious morality that demands that we sacrifice our values instead of holding on to them.
Next time a politician gives away money taken from you to show what a good, compassionate altruist he is, ask yourself: By what right?
David Holcberg is a research associate at the Ayn Rand Institute in Irvine, Calif.
OK. You demonstrated the method upon which money is drawn from the Treasury, now demonstrate the authority to expend that money on foreign disaster relief. Article 1, Section 9, Clause 7 does not exist in a vacuum nor does it grant any authority. To assist you, I'll refer you to Article 1, Section 8 for the list of specific powers delegated to Congress. Similarly, I'll refer you to Article 2, Section 2 for the list of specific powers delegated to the President. Now, I'll ask you, if either the Congress or the President has any additional powers, where did they get them?
I am contending that the DO.
And I am once again stating two things: 1) You don't live in the real world, and 2) you would rather have the issue than face the truth.
The Oil for Food Scandal has shown first hand what the UN or the "International Gangsters and Murders Inc." does with our Tax money!! I too feel for these unfortunate people, their governments made the decesions to do what ever it is that they did. The BIG Tourrist buck, the only thing coming in, was not managed earlier to improve their countries infrastructer, not used in case of a disaster or to prevent or forwarn ab out an impending disaster. Why, because they know that the US will be there, with our deep pockets.
The UN has ripped us off in the Oil for Food Scandal. It has become very clear now why the French were scurrying all over the World to get votes against their OLD ALLY and supporter the US.
It is evident now why the French and German UN representative had the sly smiles on their faces when they stabbed Colo Powell in the back infront of the world. They wanted to smash the US a heavy blow to show the world we are not as powerful as we think we are, that we NEED them. So now our son's and daughter's fight and die for the freedom of the Iraqi people, a freedom that the UN Sanctions against the Iraqi leader, Saddam was supposed to provide without a war. Their TREACHERY has been unmasked.
It is time for the American People to get out of the UN and the UN to get out of the US, cut off all of this support for their FAILING SOCIALIST Governments and their feely touchy programs. How long will it take before the collapse? We the AMERICAN people will make treaties in accordance with our Constitutional Republic guidelines. Leaving th UN doesn't mean that we are not a giving or helpful nation, we are just going to be MORE particular who we give our help to.
It does not surprise me to see a post from a person explaining that he can't grasp the concept of personal liberty. What is unbelievable is that there are so many of you who suffer from this lack of understanding. I never cease to be amazed at the level of sloppy thinking and sheer stupidity people can show!
There are too many people stuffed on the beaches of Florida.
There are too many people who make stupid choices of where they live...and I for one do not want to have to pay for their dumb selection of living areas.
If they are flooded out, then let themselves pay for their stupidity.
If their homes are destroyed by volcanoes, then let them pay for their stupidity.
If their homes are destroyed by earthquakes, then let them cover the costs.
I fail to see why it is my responsibility to pay for someone elses stupid choices.
So, you're admitting that the government exceeds the limitations of the Constitution. And that's OK with you?
Ok...lets use that premis.
Then how much of your money should we send?
I say it should be all of YOUR money because YOU want to help.
I'll bet if a poll was taken and it asked...."What if the government was to take all of your pay for one year....to give to the tsunami victims.....would you like to do this?
I'll bet there are some who would like to do this....but how much is the question...and who is it up to figure out how much we are to pay.
You see, it is up to the individual......not the government to give to charity.
For money stolen and given to someone else is not charity. It is money laundering.
And that is why we are in the trouble we are in today.
No wonder we have deficits beyond reality..a falling dollar...jobs being sent overseas.....abortion on demand....our freedoms slowly but surely being taken from us by this monstrosity that is the Federal government.
You can make any excuse you want for why we have to do this...but when it comes down to it...we as US citizens are being forced to work for the government in order to finance anything and everything that anyone wants to do in the government.
I call that slavery.
Makes me sick how easily these guys can con Bush...reminds me of how they conned his father. All that Euro had to say was that we are stingy ....and he knew exactly what he was doing....and the money tripled! I hope that least we keep close eye on where it is going.
As I recall, the government owns the money printing presses and the $$$$ caan be created from thin air.
If it were gold then it would be different.
What they are conjuring up is a passle of electrons moving around in the international banking system.
Call it what you will; it is what it is.
You're really good at putting words in people's mouths and twisting what they say.
You have an agenda; you want to play word games.
Go right ahead; in the meantime, the rest of us that live in the real world will be busy taking care of things while you contemplate your navel.
I kinda like living next to the 6th green of this golf course. I got no problems with the 'Mercan system.
Of ALL circumstances for which OUR money could be disseminated out to helpless victims, this is certainly
one of the LEAST arguable. No matter WHO sends the money, or is WHOSE name it is given, though, the critical part will be the oversight that keeps some sizable part of it from being stolen, skimmed off,diverted into extraneous
enterprises, etc. That part of the world is even less subject to governmental monitoring than ours, and widespread looting of the tens of millions that will come in will make our Red Cross/9-11 fiasco look like a model of propriety and responsibility. This WILL happen--vultures appear at every turn at events like this, sharks smell blood, and heads will eventually (but not immediately) roll as we learn once again that "corruption rules the world".
Me: That's what I like about Liberaltarians - they are cold hearted with their god being money. Sarcasm off. LIBERALtarians are something to be ashamed of. Since they lack shame, I'll be ashamed for them and hope they soon develop some empathy for others rather than their SELF oriented philosophy based on money.
You:
It does not surprise me to see a post from a person explaining that he can't grasp the concept of personal liberty. What is unbelievable is that there are so many of you who suffer from this lack of understanding. I never cease to be amazed at the level of sloppy thinking and sheer stupidity people can show!
Me: It doesn't phase me that self centered LIBERALtarians can't get their mind around helping others since their entire philosophy is self centered about money. I'm just thankful that I don't have such a cold selfish view. Lack of shame of this "philosophy" is also not a surprise.
Godwin's law (also Godwin's rule of Nazi analogies) is an adage in Internet culture that was originated by Mike Godwin in 1990. The law states that:
As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one.
There is a tradition in many Usenet newsgroups that once such a comparison is made, the thread is over, and whoever mentioned the Nazis has automatically lost whatever argument was in progress. In addition, whoever points out that Godwin's law applies to the thread is also considered to have "lost" the battle, as it is considered poor form to invoke the law explicitly. Godwin's law thus practically guarantees the existence of an upper bound on thread length in those groups. Many people understand Godwin's law to mean this, although (as is clear from the statement of the law above) this is not the original formulation.
I was not attacking you in any fashion, I just saw that you had used the ad-hominem on this thread and tried to make that point, though not very well.
Have a great day!
I was not attacking you in any fashion, I just saw that you had used the ad-hominem on this thread and tried to make that point, though not very well.
Have a great day!
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