A question for Anti-Theists

[Dystopia]

Just checked the exchange rate, we have states that have rigged themselves up with an equivalent price.

Well at least you have less smokers than us (depends on the european country, Greece has 40% smokers)

Taxing something is not interchangeable with "not incentivizing" something. Taxing something is also not "disincentivizing it". That's one of the defining hallmarks of a sin tax. You pick something that you know people will keep consuming - a product that simply does not seem to respond to disincentives under most circumstances - so that you can keep cashing in that check. If people stop consuming, then all of that "school funding" you promise the taxpayer as a cover for their plainly pious bullshit will evaporate. To be brutally honest - it evaporates anyway, because the fiction only has to be maintained long enough to cast a vote.

Ok here we go, the MAIN purpose of taxing is to get revenue money for the posterior expenses. This is the main function a tax has, if you want your government to spend money on hospitals, schools and other public services you have to fund it. The second function is to change or influence people's behavior, this is a secondary social-economical function accepted by most scholars at least here, the state will make you want to buy less of this product and buy more of another product. Let's say, for instance, rice or potatoes, these products have lower taxes because they are essential for survival, a pollutant fuel will have higher taxes to make companies use it less and bio fuel will have (at least here) tax exemption to incentive people and companies to use it.

I don't doubt it

I would love to see some estimates on the heavy toll of the porn industry.

I didn't claim to have any estimate. I didn't doubt what you said previously, that's what I meant

Cultural heritage is what defines who you are. Most western civilizations share some (but not all) cultural identities with the USA, religion has mainly an historical influence and some principles, even constitutional principles could have been influenced by religion. For instance when my constitution says 'Human life is sacred and inviolable' this could be influenced by religion, but the principle still fulfills the purpose either way.

Of course, I only suggest that while "fullfilling it's purpose" it might also be unloading un-neccessary and harmful baggage - as stated. If we give a bad reason for something - it;s just about the same as arguing against it. So if I say "we are endowed by our creator with unalienable rights" - I'm not making a very good argument for our rights - unless I can produce that creator to demonstrate that it did - indeed, endow us with anything like a right at all.

Natural Law is the justification of human rights, not trough god but because we obtain such rights from the moment we are born, the only condition to possess them is to be a human biologically and physically, these rights are inalienable and you cannot lose them, even if you are a murderer and a child rapist (otherwise we wouldn't be supporting human rights)