Villagers with Torches and Pitchforks


I read this somewhere recently, and cannot find where it came from. To paraphrase, it was that taxes pay for a civilized society. Rich folks wouldn't have been able to get rich without the rule of law, or rule of force. So, instead of paying to keep troops and a few knights to lead them, they pay taxes so that the villagers do not show up with pitchforks and torches. So, when we tax income progressively, we're just making the rich pay for the service of more knights and troops. Villagers are more likely to show up on the doorstep of Bill Gates with pitchforks and torches, because he has the money, instead of on the doorstep of your local Datanerd.

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