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Taxes
Nov 6, 2004 20:00:39 GMT -5
Post by Kain on Nov 6, 2004 20:00:39 GMT -5
After pondering about the election this year, I realized a rather interesting aspect of government taxes. If a person was to work at the age of sixteen, taxes are taken out of their paycheck. However, people younger than eighteen are not allowed to vote. Despite the fact that those people are unable to choose who represents them in the government, they must give up part of their hard earned money. Do you know why the founding fathers were so angry at the British Government in the mid-late 1700s? It’s because they were being taxed without being represented in the government. That’s right: TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION. It happened in the mid 1700s, and it is happening now.
Does anybody else find this hypocritical flaw in our government to be disturbing?
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Taxes
Nov 7, 2004 15:08:35 GMT -5
Post by Thanatos on Nov 7, 2004 15:08:35 GMT -5
I don't so much find it disturbing as I find it painfully ironic.
Now, there is an opposing argument, albeit not a particularly good one. One might go on at great lengths about the "childishness" of teenagers, the "lack of responsiblity" that each and every one of them inherently possesses. The fact that these "childish" teenagers are being taxed, same as adults?
"They hafta bear a burden too!"
Honestly, there isn't a logical argument supporting this rather amusing yet still devestatingly serious fact that has been pointed out. Suffice to say, it's America.
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Taxes
Nov 10, 2004 15:29:40 GMT -5
Post by electra on Nov 10, 2004 15:29:40 GMT -5
And it is a very good thing that Kerry will NOT be running it.
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Taxes
Nov 10, 2004 16:17:35 GMT -5
Post by Thanatos on Nov 10, 2004 16:17:35 GMT -5
Elaborate and produce a solid argument, and I might take your words seriously. Just do it in another thread so you won't stray the current discussion (or lack thereof) off-topic.
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Taxes
Dec 10, 2004 9:18:20 GMT -5
Post by Whitakker on Dec 10, 2004 9:18:20 GMT -5
If history repeats itself(which, if you take a look back, it often does), in the future teenagers(mostly between the ages of 16-18, since this is the target group)will revolt against our government, demanding that this law be changed. The government will undoubtedly refuse, causing a split in our nation. In a worst-case scenario, teens would make an armed revolt, forcing our nation to go into another civil war.
Pretty grim, eh?
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Taxes
Dec 10, 2004 17:45:14 GMT -5
Post by Thanatos on Dec 10, 2004 17:45:14 GMT -5
Unless our country radically alters itself in future, I doubt this could escalate above an angry protest.
While this might be considered "taxation without representation", its setting is far different than that of the troubled, imperialistic 18th century. Perhaps in the future teenagers have been set off on a little island all their own, and they all have paying jobs--if that is not the case, then I do not find it remotely realistic to say that such a technicality would lead to "armed revolt" and eventual "civil war".
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Taxes
Dec 10, 2004 17:55:47 GMT -5
Post by Whitakker on Dec 10, 2004 17:55:47 GMT -5
Point taken. I was just going off on a wild tangent, if you will. I too doubt very seriously that the issue would escalate to such agression.
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Kimato
Full Member
the greatest thing you will ever learn is just to love and be loved in return
Posts: 276
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Taxes
Dec 21, 2004 13:02:09 GMT -5
Post by Kimato on Dec 21, 2004 13:02:09 GMT -5
I, also, doubt that teenagers would start anything CLOSE to a civil war. The reason, though, is not that the setting is so radically different. To me, it's almost worse that we're living on the same continent, earning money, and giving it to the government without being able to vote.
However, teenagers in this day and age are to ready to accept whatever they're told. Too many times, children and teenagers allow themselves to be sthingy-fed everything from their math to their morals. Now, I'm not saying guidance isn't a bad thing. The problem is that teenagers don't want to make the extra effort required to figure something out for themselves. Note the popular question, "Can we use a calculator?".
Teenagers are made to feel powerless, as if there's really nothing they can do about things. So, they believe this. There's nothing we can do about it, that's just the way it is. Life's not fair. Sucks, but we just have to suck it up and deal with it. I, for one, am incredibly tired of the worn-out "life's not fair" play. Adults enjoy using this phrase to justify any and everything they do that teenagers are against.
Just because life isn't always fair, doesn't mean our government and adults in general should be excused from just behaviors.
And the whole "there's nothing we can do about it" thing? Think about this. How many industries target teenagers in their commercials? And why do so many of them target teenagers? Because purchases made by teenagers are a significant part of our economy. Not enough to crash and burn the economy should teenagers stop buying things, but enough to make it feel some pain.
What if teenagers stopped spending their hard-earned money? What if they stopped buying? That would get SOMEONE's attention.
Of course, there's always the fact that the majority of people 14-18 are in the "gimme" mode and all they want to do is shop shop shop, and they won't tell themselves no or exhibit any sort of self-control. So I guess the idea of teenagers not buying things is about as far left field as Whitakker's idea. -Kimato Ginzjou-
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Taxes
Jan 31, 2005 14:24:45 GMT -5
Post by Argis on Jan 31, 2005 14:24:45 GMT -5
I agree with Kimato full hardily, but us teens have no choices we are taxed and that’s that . Well what if all the teens say we are through then what we don’t have to pay income tax what happens to the rich people who now make 15% more money and us teens get older and we retire on $10 well what then. Also what happens if they lower the voting age 16-18 will vote a bit but we simply aren’t “mature” (another ting parents use to much on us) but simply I disgraced to be a teen 18-22 year olds can’t remember to vote but people with Alzheimer's Disease can that’s just stupid. So there really is not helping it…
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