Which will be funded by what, taxing the already-poor?

Now, I’m all for picking up their votes, but considering how often they seem to be willing to abandon social liberalism in return for a promise to cut taxes, I’m not particularly interested in shifting our positions much in order to accommodate what seems to be essentially a foolishly one-issue party.

—Myca

Sure. So? That’s true of every law. Conservatives (and especially libertarians) like to pretend that there’s something special and magical and evil about taxes, but actually … it’s just pretty much how laws work.

So, as a matter of policy and general principle lets have fewer laws and less taxes. After the bush administration I think there’s a huge opportunity for the left to pick up a lot of libertarians. Sure, they’ll never be on the same side wrt to the size and scope of government, but there’s plenty of common ground there.

Oh, and I couldn’t let this go by without comment:

Taxes, as we know, are forcefully imposed upon us.

How do we know this? Because if you do not pay your taxes, people with guns come to your house and haul you off to jail. So by definition, the requirement to taxes results in a lack of liberty.

Sure. So? That’s true of every law. Conservatives (and especially libertarians) like to pretend that there’s something special and magical and evil about taxes, but actually … it’s just pretty much how laws work. You live here, you obey the law. Don’t like it? Protest or leave.

Conservatives have no problem understanding this in any other context, but man oh man taxes sure are confusing.

—Myca

Prager specifically says that he is not referring to equality of opportunity. He does not believe anyone should be discriminated against.

He is saying that American government has not and should not be responsible for ensuring economic equality, i.e. that after all is said and done, everyone has the same amount of money.

Because, after all, the way to ensure that everyone has equal net worth in the end is to redistribute wealth via taxes. Taxes, as we know, are forcefully imposed upon us.

How do we know this? Because if you do not pay your taxes, people with guns come to your house and haul you off to jail. So by definition, the requirement to taxes results in a lack of liberty.

So Prager is saying that American conservatives have placed liberty as a higher value than economic equality. When conservatives see people in need, they wish to help but not at the expense of someone else. They do not want to empower government to make the decision to take money from one person and give it to another.

They would rather see voluntary donations can be made by individuals, or they would rather grow the entire economy to help everyone together.

This is a key difference. Any inequality bugs the hell out of them. This is why Liberals love and praise places like Cuba. They love Cuba because everyone is at the same economic level. Forget that everyone is dirt poor–as long as no one has more than the other. Fantastic!