California Considers Placing A Mileage Tax On Drivers

[Vonsalza]

Vonsalza:

Volunteer fire department are almost always publicly funded either in most part or whole.

No. Not “almost always.” There are a lot of volunteer departments that receive very little public funding.

But they didn’t hold bake-sales to purchase their fire engine or the building they put it in.

Many of them do exactly that.

It is at this point where we will continue to disagree. A 20-year-old fire engine and a metal building to store it in aren’t realistic targets for piecemeal fundraising. Together, as cheap as you can find them, that’s still a 6-figure amount. Easily.

These are generally publicly provided - either through direct expenditure or donation of replaced units from larger, more funded FDs. Either way, that’s still the public dime.

And their forces may be largely voluntary, but there’s still a publicly paid core administration whose job is to ensure there’s enough trained volunteers and suitable equipment to get your house fire put out.

Verily, for the vast majority of America by both population and geography, there’s some government office in charge of making sure their little section of the world doesn’t burn down.

 

[Lemuel]

I realize I’m not the brightest bear in the woods, but that seems like almost a verbatim copy of what you said.

Almost! If you “quote” someone, then you must quote them exactly. If you are just repeating a thought, you can paraphrase it. You rewrote what I said into your own words and then “quoted” me, which is incorrect. That was my point.

I left out the rest of the answer because, frankly, you were talking out of both sides of your mouth. On the one hand you were saying government essentially shouldn’t exist, and then on the other you say that “we have ways to adjudicate differences” that you seem to at least half-heartedly endorse. I can’t reconcile these two thoughts.

It’s easy in my mind. I figured you might conclude something like that. It’s not talking about of both sides of my mouth. Talking from both sides of your mouth would be to say, “Sure, we will force you to pay for our court system, but you can’t use it to adjudicate your problem since you don’t agree with paying for it, even though you still do.” It would only be duplicitous if I didn’t pay for it and then demanded access to it. I don’t have any other choice at this time. But just because the state provides something doesn’t mean that’s the best solution. In most cases, by far, it’s the worst solution.

I don’t want to put words in your mouth, but I THINK what your position actually is is “Government is a necessary evil.”

I’m not convinced that it’s necessary. But let me qualify that. I believe in government. A family is a government. A business is a government. I have a problem with a state controlled monopoly and I’m not sure that there isn’t a better way. But I also am a realist and I understand that I live under a (cough, cough) republic. Be that the case, I would have it be as small as possible. And my version of small would be almost non-existent.

Sounds good. I’m much less cantankerous offline, and I’d love to let my dog run around with the goats.

I enjoy polemics with friends and family and would never hold this personally against you if we were to ever meet. So my invitation stands. And your dog is welcome, too. Hopefully, he/she can get along with my five dogs and four cats. I don’t have goats just yet. Still working on the fencing.

 

[Theo520]

Several states are going this way.

I find it a bit hypocritical and dishonest, since they were initially encouraging the shift to more fuel efficient cars. Now that they get their desired results, they change the tax structure.

My preference would be to keep raising the gas tax instead of implementing a new complicated tax. It will take OH to enforce vs just raising car tabs and the gas tax.

 

[BoomBoomMancini]

Almost! If you “quote” someone, then you must quote them exactly. If you are just repeating a thought, you can paraphrase it. You rewrote what I said into your own words and then “quoted” me, which is incorrect. That was my point.

Ah, I see where we’re getting hung up. When I said that you said “you’re obligated by morality” I was paraphrasing your point, not claiming it was a direct quote. Apologies for the confusion. I wasn’t trying to misrepresent your position.

 

[Spyridon]

I don’t need mommy government to tell me that.

But a lot of people do. There are literally millions of Americans who do the right thing for no other reason other than because it’s the Law.

Also, it’s Uncle Government, thank you very much.

 

[Lemuel]

There are literally millions of Americans who do the right thing for no other reason other than because it’s the Law.

The “right thing” and “the Law” are often opposites.

 

[Spyridon]

Not really. Not in America anyways.

We have very few Laws which directly contradict Catholic morality. Abortion is by far the biggest one I can think of.

If you’re a Catholic and you live your entire life obeying the law, chances are slim to none that you’ll find yourself in contradiction to the Church simply by virtue of being a law abiding citizen.

 

[SuperLuigi]

We have very few Laws which directly contradict Catholic morality.

What we have are some laws that contradict reality.

That is one reason why appeal to authority is dangerous.

It is at this point where we will continue to disagree. A 20-year-old fire engine and a metal building to store it in aren’t realistic targets for piecemeal fundraising. Together, as cheap as you can find them, that’s still a 6-figure amount. Easily.

Maybe you should ask the unions and the local politicians where all that money goes…

Verily, for the vast majority of America by both population and geography, there’s some government office in charge of making sure their little section of the world doesn’t burn down.

In a lot of places around the world, it’s the government that is lighting the torches and throwing them on the rooftops.