But if you want to contribute to the thread you have to bring empathy.
I said in my first post here that it's a tragedy.
No, most parts of the world don't have real democracy. They have party-based, majoritarian, plutocratic, demagogic dictatorships. Please go through my thread linked in post# 30 on what Democracy is and is not.
Rich coming from you who idolized Gaddafi the dictator.
democracy means everyone gets a vote, yours and mine are 1 vote, Modi, Shah, Didi, Raul, comrade Yechury... also get to cast their ballot once. It's a fair system and we have a ood vibrant democratic system here, it's spicy, it's the biggest anywhere on earth, and it works !
1. Why should taxes even exist ? It is a leftover from feudalist and monarchic days. Look at the idiotic system of income tax. The Indian government extorts income tax from citizens but didn't even provide them hospital beds when they were dying of COVID in huge numbers ( four million in total by one estimate ! ) especially during the second wave earlier this year.
I'm all for abolishing all taxes, that just means I get to keep all the money I made for myself.
Who the hell will pay for the government freebie schemes that want more and more of ? .. kaha se ayega paisa ?
healthcare is already free for the poor, go to AIIMS in Delhi, guess most state capitals have government hospitals ?
people like you demand that even a 25 crore jab for some rare disease to be me made free too lol, again, where will you come up with the monies for that kind of stuff ?
I want more people paying their taxes, and for the government to put their monies to uses that they see fit.
2. You don't own "your money". Money is an artificial construct that exists because exchange of goods and services through barter system is impractical and because some value has to be added to labor. But this religious deference to money must stop. Make life easier man instead of complicating it. Let me tell you a story. I once purchased the book Elon Musk at a second-hand shop. As I was giving the money to the owner the money fell to the ground. A young man beside me picked up the money and gave it to me but after touching the money to his eyes in a reverential way. What was this ! Why has this artificial construct been made such a big part in many societies ?
No, money is real, as real as the screen you're reading my post on.
I went out a few days ago to a nice bar, drank loads, ate well.. and paid for the services they rendered me, gave the tandoor guy a tip even. Should all those there be running a free establishment just toiling hard and feeding bhikaris ? Do they not deserve to earn a living ?
It's a cultural glitch, the reverence of money and doing the head touch thing.. basically he was just happy to have earned something so he can eat and feed his family.. god, can't believe such innocuous silly concepts also need to be explained to you. Got your second hand book, didn't you ? How the hell is it any of your concern what the seller thinks about money or god or whatever ? You can read the book, burn the book, wipe your rear with pages from it, clean your kitchen counter with it, make a potty litter for your cat... that book is your property, it belongs to you and you may do as you please with it, it's not mine or anybody's business.
Such empathy and humanism you have.
What would you have done if your family had been afflicted with COVID and you didn't have money to pay for the treatment of multiple family members and other than paying to the hospital you also had to pay for medicines bought off the illegal market ?
Then I'd consider myself shit-out-of-luck and feel sad but would not blame you or anyone else for it.
Now you said you run a small business. What if it goes into loss and you go bankrupt and are indebted ? Since you have never demanded the government for free education for your kids, free healthcare for your family, free electricity and internet, how will you pay for those then ?
My business fails, it's on me then.. again, I wouldn't blame you or anyone else.. and sure as hell would not expect everyone else to give me their money. I do not feel entitled to other people's wealth and money, it's no mine. Some rich guy drives a Bentley, has a fleet of private aircraft, wears expensive watches costing into the 1000s of $ ? .. good for him, it's his money, he's free to do as you pleases with his money
just like you and your second hand book.