from Hacker News

The Town That Went Feral

by tr_user on 6/1/22, 10:06 PM with 18 comments

• by WheelsAtLarge on 6/2/22, 12:05 AM

  Some people seem to think that government is useless and should be abolished, always. But where ever the government powers are reduce we start to see societal decline. Crime goes up, the common infrastructure begins to fail, and generally, the place becomes a S hole to live in. Think about the worst places to live in and you'll see a government that's failing in someway. I'm not a rule lover but I know if there are no rules then it's an ugly place to be.

  This leads to the idea that taxes are an important part of society since that's how we finance a peaceful and productive society. We should not let all our money go to taxes but there's a point where we need to pay taxes to have a society we want to live in. People get the dumb idea that we can ask for countless benefits from government without having to pay for them. We need to balance our wants with what's possible. The idea of paying no taxes or paying taxes that are so low that the government can't function is a recipe for disaster.

  Libertarianism sounds like a nice solution to a free society in theory but in practice it's a non starter. The reality is that it falls in the same realm as fairytales and elves. It's nice to read about but it's not very practical as the primary societal philosophy of living.

• by bediger4000 on 6/1/22, 10:56 PM

  Worth a read: fairly comical.