From: Blanc Weber <blancw@microsoft.com>
Date: Tue, 12 Nov 1996 19:06:42 -0800 (PST)
To: "'cypherpunks@toad.com>
Subject: RE: Taxation Thought Experiment
Message-ID: <c=US%a=_%p=msft%l=RED-81-MSG-961113030429Z-36653@INET-01-IMC.microsoft.com>
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From:	azur@netcom.com

I've posed similar questions to friends and aquaintences.  The
working-class stiffs (who can't easily hide from the IRS) feel taxes are
an
unwelcome but necessary burden in order to provide the blanket of
government protection they feel exists.  They resent and oppose
widespread
tax fraud.  Self-employed tend to be more open to 'alternative' income
structuring.
.....................................................


Just before the elections I heard on NPR and read in an article in a
local newspaper, some people's stories of how they converted from
Democrat to Republican.

Most of them said that athough they were originally idealistic about all
the good things which government can do, when they started their own
businesses they were suddenly confronted with all the excruciating
regulation and rigmarole which any business must deal with on a daily
basis while just trying to get some work accomplished.   Very quickly
they realized the consequences of a lot of the government proposals
which they had heretofore supported.

So I realized that experience is not only the best teacher, but it is
also the best argument against bad cases of faith in government-run
economies.   Sometimes a person can't understand what the problem is
unless they've "been there", and once a person becomes self-employed,
starts a business, or becomes an investor in an enterprise, the light
dawns and they Understand.

I'm happy when I read that more and more of those people who are
"down-sized" or  layed off are turning to self-employment and starting
their own companies, because this means that more people will acquire
through direct experience (that is, confrontation with govmt agencies)
the details of real-life economics which were left out of high school &
college.  

And this means more economics&tax-savvy voters in existence for govmt
candidates to face in the elections.

    ..
Blanc