[quote=bearishgurl][quote=no_such_reality]Thank you CAR for being clear for everyone.
The government workers do not think they are accountable to the taxpayer.
If the taxpayer doesnt like it, get out of the State is their position.[/quote]
The REAL situation is, govm’t employees have a “monopoly” on the services they are providing. No one else does it and the taxpayer cannot visit a private business to get a certified copy of a document, for example, unless that business is simply a “middleman” who must visit the gov’t agency themselves to provide the service (such as a DMV “tag office” or “runner”).
ALL of the “services” govm’t employees are providing MUST be provided by law, no matter what anyone who doesn’t receive or doesn’t qualify to receive the service may think about it. The working conditions inherent in providing many of these public services may or may not be what a typical worker in private enterprise CAN or WILL agree to comply with for the duration of their employment.
Therefore, the “taxpayer” (in ANY jurisdiction) has no choice but to use the gov’mt agency if they need services only it provides. There is no “shopping around.”[/quote]
Well, this is why I made the analogy of buying residency, as opposed to just buying services. Each city/state has their own level of services they are willing/able to provide based on funding levels, community need, political will, local culture, etc. One can move to a high-tax city in a high-tax state, OR they can move to a low-tax city in a low-tax state.
I’ve been to a few cities/states where there are a lot of dirt roads, only volunteer fire departments, a couple of deputies, a small courthouse (maybe), and that’s about it. The tax rates there are quite low, relative to what we pay in larger cities.
People DO have choices, in just the same way that we have choices when buying goods/services in the private market. It’s up to them to decide what they would prefer.
In general, large cities have higher taxes. Nobody has to live in a large, well-developed city, but if they do, they will likely be paying higher taxes than those who choose to live in lower-tax areas. It is what it is.
Funny aside…I know a couple who are very libertarian and they want to move to a low-tax city/state. What’s amusing is that they want nice roads, top-of-the-line schools, safe neighborhoods, well-equipped/stocked libraries, nice parks, etc. It’s like people are completely unable to connect the dots and realize that there is no free ride. If you want the goodies, you have to pay for them. There is no magic infrastructure fairy who will come along and provide all these things for free. You have to decide whether or not lower taxes are more important than a well-developed social and physical infrastructure.
