RE: Government Made Simple
'If a mixed economy, with some part of the economy controlled by the state and others by individuals, is bad, then shouldn't we go communist?'
why not go full individual? why does the government need to get involved in the economy, what does it produce that business doesn't? you're still missing the box. there is nothing government does that we cannot do for ourselves.
kudos to you for the research - but you're only talking about income tax there - what about all of the other taxes i mentioned in the op?
again, an alternative view is that we keep all of our own money, and take care of all of our own problems, as families and neighbourhoods. no need for the expensive apparatus of a huge central and local government to plan and decide and get a wage whilst doing so, if a road needs to be built or someone needs an operation we pay for it ourselves, like how we used to do until about 200 years ago.
i urge you to check out some other thinkers and speakers on the topic of libertarianism/ stateless society - tom woods and larken rose come to mind, as well as etienne de la boetie. peace.
The tax rate was total revenue relative to GDP, so not just income tax. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_tax_revenue_to_GDP_ratio
As a society, we need to have certain rules, and those rules need to be enforced. And no, it's not enough if when something happens, everybody in the town just runs to the guy to shoot him (as some libertarians actually propose), but we need an orderly process, with independent judges and all. And that process must inevitably include some police force, to enforce the rules.
If you can't see why we need a police, then I think you may be too far gone. If you can, we can talk about where the line should be.
yes, we need a court and penal system, pretty obvious. police? maybe, but only for preventing crime, to actually be on the streets stopping crime in the first place.
would be pretty unnecessary if everyone is taking responsibility for themselves so everyone will defend themselves or their property, again, like how life has been for most of our existence.
so yes, proper due process, court proceedings, judge and officers of the court. still no need for a central government though is there?
Ok, good that you're for due process. Now how will you actually get convicted criminals into prison, if you don't want a police?
'so yes, proper due process, court proceedings, judge and officers of the court. '