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Tax migration from the Tennessean


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L...O....L...!!! I like your summary comment: "Who knows?". Indeed! Who would know?

Well, I do for one, and you're not going to like the answer: NO!

No, taxes are not the most equitable way to pay for public parks. User fees are the most equitable way to pay for parks. That way you don't end up with a situation like we have in this thread: A few well positioned beneficiaries of socialist hand-outs (free park usage), who proudly declare "I like free parks", when we all know that nothing is free, and somone paid for the parks and maintenance. It just so happens that you didn't pay your fair share of the parks because someone else was forced to pay it for you.

No, taxes are not the most equitable way to pay for schools. The parents of the students should pay for schools because they are the ones benefiting from it. If everyone is paying for schools, and everyone uses schools, then it will all work out the same if instead of taxes, each family just pays tuition (and all schools were made private), right? I mean, surely you're not advocating that even people without kids should pay for schools, are you? :D

No, taxes are not the most equitable way to pay for roads, tolls would be better. That way someone who uses a fancy multi-lane highway would be paying the fancy multi-lane prices, and a granny driving on White Bridge Road would be paying the lower White Bridge Road price.

One more thing, I love this sentence: "Once they are paid for by my small contribution, I don't have to pay to use them". This sums up very well the un-spoken motivation behind your support of government run parks and roads: You practically admit in this sentance that the market value of the benefit you receive in park usage is greater than the small price you're paying in taxes. Clearly, no consideration is given to those who live far from parks or are too elderly or handicaped to reach or use them easily.

Ok, first of all, I respect you opinion and believe you are entiteled to it. However, how do you know that I haven't paid my fair share? Is it because I said "my small contribution? That was simply a relation to my income v. taxes.(you might considre it large, but I don't) If it's because I said I cant afford the things I desire, that is simply because I have always desired things above my means, even when I collect my former desires. I have been a Davidson Co. tax payer my whole life, so I consider that my "fair share"!

Parks. If a person wants to segregate parks, then they can build one. No one says you cant. If the rich want a park for the rich with ammentities better than most, then they can have one. Yet, they already do..they are called country clubs. Also, look at the health of America. How many people on the street do you think spend a significant amount of time in a park? So, if a small percentage of people are actually coming to the park to pay the user fee, the park WILL be sub-par. Not to mention, if you consider all of the public parks in Metro, they are already designed this way. Centennial, Percy/Edwin Warner, for example, are huge and happen to be in wealth areas. Other areas of metro have very small parks w/terrible facilities, and little security.

Schools. Yes, I think schools should be publicly funded. I am an adult with no children. I pay for schools and recieve no direct benefits. Why don't I have a problem with this? Because I don't want to walk the streets with bumbling idiots. Yes, maybe our public schools are sub-par, but lets face it, if schools were pay-as-you-go, millions of Americans would grow up with no education. Dont tell me that the government shoud force parents to pay for it because what do you do with the parents who don't pay? Incarcerate them? Then the child is sent/educated by social services which would be paid for through taxes.

Roads. I will agree with you on this point. I am very supportive of mass transit. I use it, and ride my bike. NO, not because I can't afford a car(I happen to have a nice one), I use these means for my health and my convienience. However, anyone that wants to toll every road in America and try to drive them....have fun! I'll see you at our chosen destination when you get there in several hours. I'll be waiting, with several extra dollars in my pocket.

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nashvillwill,

Millions of Americans are going to public schools and learning nothing. The system MUST change. Society is full of bumbling idiots, whether we want to call them that or not.

Kheldane is saying that users should pay for the parks. I don't use parks. I cannot use the parks even if I wanted to. Why am I being forced to pay for them? Is government responsible for making sure we have a place to play? NO, they aren't. So the rich should pay for your recreation because you can't afford it? If I pay 100k a year and you pay 1k in county taxes, is that fair? Because I have achieved, I am being punished? The system sucks and if you were the one being forced to pay an inordinate amount of tax you would agree.

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First of all, I'm not an advocate of big government, but I still must ask: Why all the talk about "handout"s? Everyone, despite socioeconomics, receives some sort of "handout," if you will, from the government: roads, education of the masses (despite your take on the situation), sports, recreation, police, fire, airports, defense, . . . and the list goes on. Taxes, like them or not, are an inherent part of any civilized society.

I happen not to use sports venues, but I do use parks and roads. You, on the other hand, may use roads and airports. Ulitmately, however, we all benefit from these services in one way or another: Imagine a world with no roads, uneducated children, sick folks galore, no police . . . you get the picture.

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How many people on the street do you think spend a significant amount of time in a park? So, if a small percentage of people are actually coming to the park to pay the user fee, the park WILL be sub-par....

...Why don't I have a problem with this? Because I don't want to walk the streets with bumbling idiots. Yes, maybe our public schools are sub-par, but lets face it, if schools were pay-as-you-go, millions of Americans would grow up with no education.

Parks: So you think other nashvillians should subsidize the parks so you and the few other patrons don't have to suffer the inconvenience of a "sub-par" park? You need to face facts: If your personal funds are limited to a degree that you can only command sub-par park services on the open market, then those are the only park services you are fit to receive. The other citizens of nashville in no way owe you an "above-par", or even a "on-par" park experience. Because who's determining "par", you? Why don't you leave the other people alone and figure out whatever you can figure out?

Schools: Because you can't be bothered to interact with uneducated people on the street? Well, I understand how that could be inconvenient and frustrating, but you'll just have to do the best you can to get along with the "uneducated" portion of society. Because the other citizens of nashville are in no way obligated to ensure that your days are annoyance-free. Education is a service - no one can dispute that. Teachers don't work for free, schools aren't free, books aren't free, so why should the customer get the product for free? I see no reason to violate people's private property rights when they've done nothing wrong, just because you think you've identified some "better use" for their money. You are the one making the judgement call that the money is better spent on education (and it is a judgment call), so why don't you spend your own money to educate the population and leave the others out of your plans?

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yawning and stretching.

I'll have to admit, I'm surprised. You seemed to come so strong out of the gate, but one strong rebuttle from the Kheldane and you're already playing the "I'm too cool to respond" game. That usually happens after several rounds of rhetorical jousting... :D

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  • 2 months later...

Our public education system is a socialist failed system?

Any form of government service is a socialist program?

Do any of you on here realize how extreme you are?!? To not wish a public school system to exist because its "socialist" and to not wish for any form of government program except that which serves your personal needs is far removed from the agreements made in the original constitution.

We can debate the merits of various government programs, but to compare everything to a Soviet Socialist system of government defeats the purpose.

That's not dialogue, that's demagoguery.

No one LOVES high taxes. But saying that you want a particular government service does not make one a socialist, communist, or authoritarian in any way, shape, or form.

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