Philosophy of Voluntaryism 003 – The Unintended Consequences of Taxation (60m)

Philosophy of Voluntaryism 003 is a look at taxation, by Danilo Cuellar and Jim Limber Davis. “The unintended consequences of taxation are nearly infinite. What doesn’t have to be is our nescience about them. By understanding wealth, how it is created, and what its purpose is we can break down the idea of taxation and show the world what it really is: a practice befitting a less civilized, intelligent, and courageous period of humanity’s history.”

How to Feel Profoundly Grateful about the Market

In the real world, prices often seem far above marginal cost. Yesterday, for example, I bought a pair of tweezers for $14.99. But it’s hard to see how the marginal cost – metal, electricity, transportation, miscellaneous – could even reach $1.00. That’s a markup well in excess of 1000%. If you’re steeped in the perfectly competitive model, where price always equals marginal cost, it’s easy to feel “ripped off” whenever you make a purchase.

The Perfect System

Entire industries are built off of this desire to find the perfect system for anything that you have uncertainty about. I know, because I’ve spent a good deal of my life looking for the Perfect System in so many areas. I’ve developed nearly perfect systems in many parts of my life. But today, I’m going to share something I’ve worked years developing: my Perfect System.

Political Means and Economic Means

There are two fundamentally opposed means whereby man…is impelled to obtain the necessary means for satisfying his desires. These are work and robbery, one’s own labor and the forcible appropriation of the labor of others… I propose… to call one’s own labor and the equivalent exchange of one’s own labor for the labor of others, the “economic means”… while the unrequited appropriation of the labor of others will be called the “political means.”

Why the Schism?

The debates and arguments continue. Both sides can’t understand why their opponents can’t see their own point of view. The battles between Progressives/Liberals and Libertarian/Conservatives are the most vociferous. Why does such contentiousness exist? Here is my analysis. It boils down to some specific realizations.