tbc0's posterous

About a month ago, I read the Foreign Policy article "Don't Mess With Taxes" by Charles Kenny and was struck by a fundamental problem with materialism. I wrote down my thoughts and re-read them today. I'm convinced now more than ever.

The problem with materialism is: It's purely pragmatic. The argument Mr. Kenny makes against the Tea Party and others who protest high U.S. taxes is that things aren't bad at all when you compare rich countries against poor countries. And he is convincing. I feel much better about paying high taxes when taking into account that my take-home pay is so much higher than it would be if I did the same job in China or India or Malaysia but was paid local wages. (The faster we eliminate the Flat World, the better off we'll be. It's immoral, and it's unsustainable. But that needs to be the topic of a future blog post.) So fine. The "dumb luck" that I was born in America should eclipse any indignation that my taxes support an inept (in many cases) - and in some cases corrupt - federal bureaucracy. Mr. Kenny doesn't address the philosophical arguments - the moral arguments - at all. He doesn't care whether corruption is wrong. He doesn't acknowledge that tax protests are more about Americans' declining confidence in their federal government's ability to promote the common good. He is content to say that it "works" and that we should be grateful to the Universe that we are Americans. (It's taboo to talk about "Nature's [and Jefferson's] God," our "Creator," "the Supreme Judge of the World," and "divine Providence;" or about the Winthrop-Kennedy-Reagan shining city upon a hill.) Pragmatism. See how that works? Keep values out of the discussion. But I don't want to leave the wackos attracted by the Tea Party off the hook. There is a political spectrum in that "party" just like there are wackos in the Democratic Party and wackos in the Republican Party. On the subject of taxes, there are wackos (some call themselves Libertarians) who don't even want to pay taxes for police and national defense protection. Enemies of reform try to paint the entire Tea Party with the same broad brush. You reformers: Don't let them!

I'm guessing that Mr. Kenny didn't care that President Bill Clinton demonstrated flawed character where his personal relationships were concerned; his policies were all that mattered. An adulterer can still be President as long as he governs well. (To answer your question: No, I still haven't forgiven the Democrats for blocking Clinton's impeachment. Someday, I hope.) A man who will betray his wife is the same kind of man who will betray his country. It's only a matter of degree.

Americans deserve better. Britons (and all Europeans) deserve better, too. For that matter, why should Muslims, Africans, Indians, Chinese, or non-U.S. Americans be expected to settle for less? (That's right. I mean to say that Canadians, Mexicans, Costa Ricans and Brazilians are examples of non-U.S. Americans. Being American isn't a nationality. It's a mindset. Americans have been trying to make the world a better place for a couple hundred years now. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't. But – and now I'm speaking for the United States of America – we balance out on the positive side. And we'll know when we're finished because none of us will call ourselves Americans anymore. That, too, should be the topic of a future blog post.) We deserve better because the ends don't justify the means. Or do you want to argue with me about that? Consequentialism. Don't get me started!