A thought for anyone who asks “Can I stop paying taxes because of this thing I don’t like/can’t use?”
There are lots of things that you pay for but will not, choose not, or hope not to use. Your tax dollars go towards welfare, unemployment, drug treatment programs, prisons, nuclear bombs, and foreign countries. Do you expect to take advantage of any of those programs in the near future?
Taxes pay for things that benefit the public at large, but don’t necessarily benefit you. That’s a price we pay for civilization.
This post was inspired by a conversation on Facebook.
The original post read:
The town of mansfield banned smoking in the center square in the downtown area. While I don’t smoke anymore I still get concerned when the government steps in to “regulate” a public space. Similar to how I feel about cameras being everywhere. How far are we willing to go to create a space that we feel is “safe”. If people don’t want it in a personal home- that I understand but not in public… thoughts?
The comment that really bugged me was:
Speaking as a smoker who hangs out with both smokers and non-smokers, the truth is that most of us are aware that others do not appreciate the smoke from a cigarette and so we already step to the outskirts of a crowd to smoke so that we don’t have a significant impact on those around us who are snobby and offensive in their disdain for second hand smoke. I think laws that create an “other” and make those of the ingroup feel and act superior are extreme and unnecessary. Can smokers stop paying taxes for “public” spaces that they are no longer welcome to use?