Casinos, Yes! Taxes, No!
Is it axiomatic that our personal desires are stronger
than our desire for community cooperation?
Does this sum up human character and, therefore, tell us which laws
we should adopt and which decisions we should make?
Personal desire refers to the lottery and casinos,
among other things. Community
cooperation refers to taxes and donations.
I recall that, when the California
lottery was being considered for adoption some twenty-five years ago, then
Governor George Deukmejian was opposed, saying that a lottery to raise money
for public services was bad public policy.
Let us say that the lottery and casinos are vices.
Imagine if government controlled all
vices, and all profit from such
vices went into the public coffers. That
income would be significant and might well lessen the tax burden on
individuals and “non-vice” businesses.
But such a possibility would be Kafkaesque.
Should government be dependent on vices, which means that government
would be promoting, if not openly approving, such vices?
Would that encourage more people to indulge in vices and, therefore,
harm their families and themselves? Would
government then have to spend money to right the wrong?
Somebody could point to cigarettes and alcoholic
beverages as vices which are permitted and regulated.
Does the benefit in income outweigh the harm done?
Should we even be asking that question?
It gives me an uneasy feeling to answer “yes” to
the last question, but we humans are not keen on community cooperation as
manifested by taxes and we fall short on community cooperation as manifested
by donations.
Conundrum. Perhaps
this is a time for us to think outside the box.
If you answer the
multiple-choice questions below and e-mail to lessonanswers@mymontebello.com
with “Lesson answers” in the subject field, you will be credited toward
a “certificate of recognition in community affairs” to be awarded in
2007 by a local nonprofit organization.
1. From which vices do we receive income for public
services?
(a) Casinos.
(b) Cigarettes.
(c) Alcoholic beverages.
(d) Lottery.
2. Why are vices necessary?
(a) The majority of people do not complain about taxes
derived from vices.
(b) Vices which are lawful and regulated are less
harmful than vices which are run illegally.
January 31, 2008