Issue 232 Priced out? April 28, 2014

I'm am not talking about people in this case, but goods.  How does government restrict our choices?  By taxing something into oblivion.

What is priced out:  Currently tobacco products and Guns are the two main things that people are being priced out of buying.  Cigarettes, my father’s vice, cost $10 a pack or more depending on the brand.  However, without taxes they may be as low as a single dollar.  Guns cost thousands of dollars because the government taxes them in order deter us from owning things they don't want us to own.  It is why certain drugs cost more when bought behind the counter at a pharmacy rather than over the counter on the shelves.  Gambling is taxed and survives only due to how much money it rakes in.  This is how the government works.  Food, clothing, and more are taxed at varying levels to deter and steer people to buy certain things.

Works for some and not others:  The psychology is that people think based on how much money they own.  They limit themselves to within reason so that they can buy the things they need the most based on priorities.  It only does not work when people’s priorities and wants outweigh the fiscal hurdles they must overcome.  It comes family and the means to support them first and all else second.  Vices and wants play second fiddle unless those priorities align with the primary priority.  A gun is bought for defense and food in many parts of America, with any secondary benefit being bragging rights and fun.  Vices like gambling and smoking are for relaxation and fun for all need an escape. Thus while our choices become limited, people still overcome the obstacles that government puts before them.   

Conclusion:  I do not agree with this unequal taxation of goods, let alone selectively making people victims.  Sure we overcome, and sure we can adapt, but adaption is not what should be done.  In fact, resisting adaption to the government’s whims is more important.  The reason is because obeying government is the last thing that should be done.  We have our needs that need to be accomplished first and foremost.  The government does not know what is needed by the individual and that is why we should not obey.  Basic laws against murder, theft and assault are needed, but the picking and choosing of what is best for us is not.  Thus, I call for all of you to call for the equal taxation of goods and services within the country.  This will allow all goods and services to compete and thus enable us to make the choices on what we want to buy based on our own financial wants and needs, not the government’s desires.