Taxes, altruism and the Gazette

Richard Prawdzienski has a fine editorial printed in this week's Oklahoma Gazette. You can access it here:

tinyurl.com/4rz35

Or you can go to www.okgazette.com, roll your cursor down to News in the navigation bar on the left side, and click on Commentary. Richard's piece is below another piece.

Because I saw Richard's piece as a fine opportunity to say something about the relationship between morality and government in truly fundamental terms, I have sent the following letter to the editor in response. We'll see if they print it. I do want to point out one thing that I could have added but chose to leave out, and that is Ayn Rand's contention that in the battle to achieve true freedom - that is, complete laissez-faire capitalism - taxes would be the last detail that would need to be addressed. I don't for a moment think that she meant that one should never take the opportunity to do something about taxes if such an opportunity presented itself, however.

Re: A taxing situation

Kudos to Richard Prawdzienski for having the intellectual clarity required to recognize the true relationship between taxes and morality, and for having the courage to say something about it in public. Who will define and regulate kindness, indeed?

Too bad Prawdzienski didn't take his argument to the final step, by naming the ultimate cause of the situation, which is the bankrupt morality of altruism. Only a morality which demands that human beings place anyone - or thing - else but themselves first, a morality based on a view of human beings as helpless monsters which must be emasculated, chained and taken care of in order to prevent us from destroying each other, could justify the idea that some people should have the authority and power to tell other people what to do with their own money, property and lives. If such people are driven to regulate kindness, it can only be because they have no confidence that individual human beings are capable of kindness, when left to themselves.

If this view of human nature is as insulting to you as it is to me, ask yourself what that says about the true nature of altruism, and of those who profess to uphold it.

Rob Abiera

Update: January 21st -

Actually, on thinking about this piece a little bit more since I sent it off, I wish I had put a couple of things a little bit differently. I should have written:

Kudos to Richard Prawdzienski for having the intellectual clarity required to recognize that there is a relationship between taxes and morality

It was the fact that Richard focused on the relationship between taxes and morality that I was struck by in the first place. But Richard did not go all the way and identify the true nature of that relationship; however, he did set up what I saw as a perfect opportunity to provide that identification. Unfortunately I didn't give myself enough time to completely think that through before I sent the piece in.

And:

If this monstrous view of human nature is as insulting to you as it is to me,

I think these edits would have gotten my intended meaning across a little more clearly.

Today I got a phone call from the editor of the Gazette asking permission to print my letter!


Update: January 29th -

Well, I should have posted something on Wednesday, but I didn't get around to it. Anyway, my letter was printed in the January 26th edition! And it's the second one! Right after Joe Quigley, who is the lead letter this issue.