(September 15, 2012 at 6:08 pm)TaraJo Wrote:(September 15, 2012 at 4:22 pm)Tiberius Wrote: Other than that, everything should be optional and up to the citizens. There have been fire departments in the US that are set up with a local "fire tax", which people can choose to pay. If they don't pay, then they run the risk of their house burning to the ground. If they do pay, they get the service. I don't argue that a fire service isn't a good thing, but I do argue that it should be up to individuals to decide what they use their money for. I would always pay the "fire tax", but I'll defend anyone's right to not pay up.
I don't agree with that. If my neighbor's house is on fire, I don't care whether he's insured or not; I want the fire department to put it out before it threatens my house.
You make a good point. We are not islands. We impact each other both by our actions and by our inactions. It is reasonable to make community agreements about what we'll tolerate on both scores.
