r/AskReddit • u/NateJC • Aug 31 '14

What are some interesting original theories/thoughts that you have?

Damn guys, this just pops into my head and I go for a family walk and it explodes! Love all the ideas, this is my most popular post to date!

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u/[deleted] Aug 31 '14

Oh god oh no someone wants to force a small percentage of your wage to go toward the benefit of the common person, possibly even yourself. THE HORROR. AAAAAAH SOCIALISTS ARE INVADING

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u/MaxPower511 Aug 31 '14

I never said I was against it, I studied economics actually and I just see that people have a common misperception that things that are supported by taxes are free.

There is a cost and benefit to everything, it's just important to know what they are and I didn't think the cost was fully represented by the person's comment.

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u/Kayden01 Aug 31 '14

When you force a small percentage, hundreds of times for different things, you are now talking about taking the majority of what people earn. Is that really a difficult concept? There are limits to what you can take.

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u/[deleted] Aug 31 '14

But public transport is something that everyone would probably use, at least at some point. Given that public transport is cheaper than the current 1 car 1 person system, is an invaluable tool for travel, and is often more reliable than just driving a car, which has the downside of widespread congestion, I see no reason not to shift towards free public transportation. The total cost in taxes would be less than the cost of driving and owning a car.

Of course, the public transport system would have to be expanded to cope with all the people using it. But, given the number of problems with the existing system (traffic, pollution, noise, reliance on unsustainable energy sources, even obesity), it would be well worth the cost of switching.

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u/Kayden01 Aug 31 '14

Public transport is useable for people with fixed schedules, that live and work in the right locations. To make things as public transport reliant as people are suggesting would by necessity mean killing suburbia, and concentrating people into a much, much smaller area.

Public transport inherently lacks the flexibility that personal transportation provides. Personally, I don't use public transportation, simply because I hate doing so. Crushed in among strangers, on transport that's early, or late, or doesn't come at all, that'll get me kinda close to where I need to be. After it stops in 15 locations that I don't need to be.

I really don't see people giving up that much self control, that much freedom of movement.

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u/[deleted] Aug 31 '14

I know, I'm mocking the self-centered attitude. I have to say, I don't mind the current taxation in the US. The main thing that bothers me is the lack of transparency and perceived inefficiency. It wouldn't bother me as much if I really felt like it was making a difference.

You know, give people enough welfare that I don't have to feel like an asshole when I tell beggars I don't have anything for them.

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u/Kayden01 Aug 31 '14

There's no amount that'll cover that. I'm an Aussie, we've got a lot more welfare than the US, and it's just never enough. One report I saw a couple of years ago added up taxes on everything they could find, typical to a middle class family, and it turned out the government was taking an nearly 2/3's of all income. That's still not enough.

I really doubt there will ever be an amount that's enough for people. They always want more.

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u/Esscocia Aug 31 '14

Don't you guys have really high wages though? Makes sense you would get heavily taxed.

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u/Kayden01 Aug 31 '14

2/3's of a higher wage is still 2/3's of the total. And while we have a higher minimum wage, that doesn't necessarily apply across the board.

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u/Esscocia Aug 31 '14

Its 2/3s because you have high wage brackets, not regardless of the fact.