LA County Hauls in a record 1.6 trillion of Property Taxes (property tax, assess)

[Harpaint]

Originally Posted by Cinema Cat

Not true.

The painful truth for modern African-Americans is that their ancestors were enslaved by Africans. Africans had been enslaving other Africans for millennia before Europeans arrived on the subsaharan portion of the continent.

When they did arrive, Europeans discovered they could buy slaves from Africans. So they did so. At worse, Jefferson was guilty of buying stolen property. It was Africans who engaged in theft.

An additional painful truth: It was European colonialists who abolished slavery in Africa. So really, the colonialists were liberators.

Oh come on! His theft was taking the freedom from his slaves! DUH

[Astral_Weeks]

Originally Posted by max210

Do you believe we are getting our money's worth? I certainly don't. Fix that before giving up more of your hard earned money.

My post was a direct rebuke of a bogus claim by Exitus. Your attempt at moving the goalposts doesn't alter his error.

Originally Posted by CaliRestoration

Speaking of bumper stickers...

Originally Posted by Exitus Acta Probat

Speaking of bumper stickers, it's posts like yours that keep the bumper sticker makers in business.

^Calling something a bumper sticker phrase with no argument or explanation as to why is a feeble and weak response.

[Cinema Cat]

Originally Posted by Harpaint

Oh come on! His theft was taking the freedom from his slaves! DUH

Jefferson did not take freedom from any slaves. They were already slaves long before Jefferson saw them.

It was customary for African tribes to wage war on each other, and enslave or kill the losers. So some of the slaves who ended up in America were themselves trying to enslave other Africans. They fought. They lost. Losers ended up dead or enslaved.

Ultimately, it was the African kings who took the freedom from the men they conquered. African kings enslaved enemy tribesmen, sold them to slave traders, who sold them to Jefferson.

Who bears the greater crime? The purchaser of stolen property? Or the thief who stole it?

[John Williams]

Originally Posted by Cinema Cat

Jefferson did not take freedom from any slaves. They were already slaves long before Jefferson saw them.

It was customary for African tribes to wage war on each other, and enslave or kill the losers. So some of the slaves who ended up in America were themselves trying to enslave other Africans. They fought. They lost. Losers ended up dead or enslaved.

Ultimately, it was the African kings who took the freedom from the men they conquered. African kings enslaved enemy tribesmen, sold them to slave traders, who sold them to Jefferson.

Who bears the greater crime? The purchaser of stolen property? Or the thief who stole it?

The bigger question is whether the above justifies Jefferson taking advantage of the situation for his own benefit? It's like seeing a thief drop a bag of money and thinking you might as well take the loot for yourself.

[Harpaint]

Originally Posted by Cinema Cat

Jefferson did not take freedom from any slaves. They were already slaves long before Jefferson saw them.

It was customary for African tribes to wage war on each other, and enslave or kill the losers. So some of the slaves who ended up in America were themselves trying to enslave other Africans. They fought. They lost. Losers ended up dead or enslaved.

Ultimately, it was the African kings who took the freedom from the men they conquered. African kings enslaved enemy tribesmen, sold them to slave traders, who sold them to Jefferson.

Who bears the greater crime? The purchaser of stolen property? Or the thief who stole it?

This is a linguistic game you're playing just to excuse slave owners. There is effectively no difference between African kings enslaving people and American landowners continuing to enslave them. Both denied the freedom from those people to have self directed lives, and they perpetuated it through the lives of the slaves' prodigy.

[BB_210]

Originally Posted by Astral_Weeks

My post was a direct rebuke of a bogus claim by Exitus. Your attempt at moving the goalposts doesn't alter his error.

I don't give a shot about anyone's "taxation is theft" ideas. I was addressing your statement that we receive (goods and) services for our taxes, which I agree with. My point is we over pay for those services. The other point is that obviously the county is hauling in money by the truck load, they don't need more of it.

[Kevroqs]

And all the revenue they collect from property taxes will go directly to benefits of illegals

[saibot]

Originally Posted by Astral_Weeks

It is not theft if you receive something in return.

It is not theft, only if you agreed on what you would get in return, and also if the money is not used for anything you DIDN'T agree to. Otherwise, it is theft.

[Astral_Weeks]

Originally Posted by saibot

It is not theft, only if you agreed on what you would get in return, and also if the money is not used for anything you DIDN'T agree to. Otherwise, it is theft.

Being a citizen comes with rights and responsibilities. You have a right to protection and certain services but also a responsibility to pay for these services. An implicit part of citizenship is acceptance and compromise. The pacifist may not like paying taxes to fund the Pentagon but he/she still must pay the taxes, etc. (and benefits from the protection).

Do we have to have a social revolution or change in tax code every time someone disagrees with the way things are? The fact is that there are lots of things we never agreed to, but have to live with when we are part of a larger society.

[expatCA]

Originally Posted by Astral_Weeks

Being a citizen comes with rights and responsibilities. You have a right to protection and certain services but also a responsibility to pay for these services. An implicit part of citizenship is acceptance and compromise. The pacifist may not like paying taxes to fund the Pentagon but he/she still must pay the taxes, etc. (and benefits from the protection).

Do we have to have a social revolution or change in tax code every time someone disagrees with the way things are? The fact is that there are lots of things we never agreed to, but have to live with when we are part of a larger society.

This is true and the actual responsibility rests on the voters who voted people into office, who pass feel good laws but not do good laws. Wwere taxes go is decided by the politicians elected by ... the people. Your fault.