[geeks] education systems around the world

[Jonathan C. Patschke]

On Sun, 26 Oct 2008, der Mouse wrote:

>> If those providing this "education" are expected to do so without
>> compensation, they are held in slavery; if others are expected to
>> surrender the fruits of their labor to compensate these teachers, they
>> are held in slavery.
>
> To the extent that this is true, the "slavery" is extremely partial and
> limited, to the point that - largely because of the emotional overtones
> and history of the word - I think it's fair to call it an outright
> wrong description.

Do you have a better one?  The government asserts that you do not own the
fruits of your own labor until you have paid them whatever amount they
feel they are due, first.

It isn't merely "robbery", as a robber coming to steal your money won't
take your house, if you have no money to give.

The options, as they are in the US, are:

         1) Pay taxes, by working, if necessary.

         or

         2) Have your house and/or your freedom and/or your life stolen.

"Armed robbery"?

Slavery, at some abstract level, is really nothing more than a continuous
state of being a victim of armed robbery, except that it is the labor
directly which is stolen, rather than the product thereof.

A slave's only chance at freedom was to somehow ingratiate himself with
Master or leave the plantation.  Since I keep hearing that the only ways
one is to be free of this tyranny we call government is to either ascend
to power within it (and, hah, attempt to change it from within) or to
leave the country, the situations don't seem different, except in
intensity.

We have a very large plantation, and the slaves on it aren't expected to
produce nearly as much as slaves who are called such by title, but the
penalties are harsh if Master doesn't get his due.  Much as slaves
generally have some time that they have as their own, the typical American
has all but the first 88 - 128 days of the year[0] to use as he pleases,
but, in those first few months, his wages will be spent lining Master's
pockets.

> Exaggerating your claims by (mis)using words for their emotional impact
> (which is the only ground I can see for exaggerating taxation into
> "slavery") does your argument no good at all...except perhaps among
> people more swayed by emotionally loaded language than good arguments,
> which I trust is not generally the case on this list.

I am intending no such thing.  I honestly and truly believe that taxation
is a very specific case of a very limited form of slavery.  Or, perhaps a
different specific case of some more abstract idea.


[0] Source: The Tax Foundation, Tax Freedom Day by State
-- 
Jonathan Patschke | "There is more to life than increasing its speed."
Elgin, TX         |                                   --Mahatma Gandhi
USA               |