I think that DCE over at Weekend Pundit has the right in regard to Bruce Currie’s constant wailing that “taxes pay for civilization.” Hardly. What it really does is, and let me emphasize it, is that –
Taxes Pay For Government
Maybe to Bruce that Government IS Civilization. After all, it seems that to Bernie-Bros and other Socialists/Communists/Statists do believe that (go figure!). Unfortunately, it isn’t – to most of us, the government is a necessary evil.
Some aspects of government are just outsourcing some tasks to our local government – I, for one, really don’t want to snow blow my part of the road in front of my house in wintertime (if I still had my Suburban and plow, I probably wouldn’t mind it so much).
Who needs a library when we have the Internet?
And the disaster that has been government school, even in NORMAL times (e.g., see Detroit as an example), have become much worse; parents, having outsourced educating their kids to Govt, have seen that those government workers (teachers unions) have actively worked AGAINST going back to school and do their jobs; we are seeing children being withdrawn as parents decide to take back that responsibility.
And as Bruce has claimed that “Govt keeps us safe”? Yeah, I agree with DCE:
Note this definition of Civilization:
Definition of Civilization
There are many ways to define a civilization …Most civilizations have the following elements:A surplus of food
Prehistoric people were nomadic. They had no home because they were constantly in search of food. When people cannot rely on having a steady supply of food, finding nourishment becomes their highest priority. When people have enough to eat, they begin to develop other needs.A division of labor
When a person has one job, through constant practice, he or she tends to do that job very well. People are also more likely to work at jobs that brings them satisfaction. In order for people to work at individual jobs, the individual members of their group must cooperate with one another.Organized government and religion
People living under the same government or having the same religious beliefs are likely to have similar values. A level of trust and mutual responsibility often grows in these circumstances, making it is easier for members of a group to exchange goods and services with one another.Writing
Writing allows people to keep records and communicate. Writing also makes it possible to send knowledge through time and space. A written message can travel a great distance, and can live on past the life of the writer.
Out of those five elements, only one is government. To folks like Bruce, it is the most important one. Further, they can’t seem to understand (or even try to see our point of view) that for most of us, it’s not. Culture is, Liberties are, Family and friends are, and the list keeps going onward from there. The Left refuses to admit that much of civilization can and does, exist outside (and without) the “guiding Hand” of Government (which often becomes a clenched fist).
For those on the Left, it seems, is that Government is that entity from which all blessings flow (wonder if he’ll get that reference).
Not for many of the rest of us. Yes, we see the need for a LIMITED and restricted one – one that stays in its lane and doesn’t do a jot or tittle more than it has to. Much of our problems today are from government overreach and expansion – is it really Government’s Role to tell us how we are to heat our homes and what the vehicles will be that we can drive? That it can now tell us what we can say or believe?
No to all of those. But to folks like Bruce, it is: civilization is a single mindset-only affair – a monoculture. Lockstep, with nary a dissent to be heard, is to be the norm.
Over my dead body.
