{"id":554,"date":"2017-12-12T05:25:18","date_gmt":"2017-12-12T05:25:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/liberrimus\/?p=554"},"modified":"2017-12-12T05:25:54","modified_gmt":"2017-12-12T05:25:54","slug":"in-response-to-mills-avoid-millionaire-tax-or-end-homelessness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/liberrimus\/2017\/12\/12\/in-response-to-mills-avoid-millionaire-tax-or-end-homelessness\/","title":{"rendered":"In Response to Mill’s “Avoid Millionaire Tax or End Homelessness”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mill here puts forth the irrational argument that society should be collectively held responsible for supporting the homeless. \u00a0Specifically, he advocates for Proposition 63, which proposes placing a 1% tax increase on income over a million dollars, and using the revenue for affordable housing to help accommodate the homeless population.<\/span> \u00a0This proposal is both illogical and unethical. \u00a0In considering the issue of homelessness, there is no reason to believe that the burden of supporting the homeless should fall upon the millionaire class. \u00a0From the perspective of objective ethics, the highest achievement of man is to his own happiness – not the happiness of others. \u00a0Each man is held only to pursue that which serves to his own values through virtues of rationality, productiveness, and pride. \u00a0Forcing the wealthy to give up their money in support of the homeless denies both parties from practicing rational virtue.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s first consider the great and obvious disservice that this absurd proposal places upon the millionaire class. \u00a0To have accrued such wealth is reflective of a life based on ethical pursuit of value in the interest of the self. \u00a0Such people have developed virtue and its subsequent moral and fiscal reward. \u00a0Those who have ethically dedicated their life to self-improvement, should not be called upon to give up their wealth to those who have chosen a less virtuous lifestyle. \u00a0The highest moral goal for man is pursue value through his <\/span>own<\/span><\/i> virtue and for himself only. \u00a0Even through personal choice it would be foolish for millionaires to donate or otherwise give away their money. \u00a0One should entirely reject the notion of sacrifice, as it both presents a harm to society, and denies man the opportunity to seek happiness that can be found solely through his own achievements. <\/span><\/p>\n

Though to the less rationally minded it may seem odd, this proposal would also ultimately provide a disservice to those among the homeless population as well. \u00a0Home and shelter are among the basic necessities of human survival, and thus are obviously values worth pursuing. \u00a0However, they must be pursued through virtue as well. \u00a0In the case of the homeless there are two options: that they be given handouts, or the opportunity to virtuous pursuit of value. \u00a0A homeless man practicing virtues of productivity and pride through hard work may not only be able to overcome his situation, but also to achieve the happiness that may only be earned through rational pursuit of self-interest. \u00a0Conversely, giving handouts to such a man would enable his status as a parasite upon society, while also barring him from the highest moral purpose of man to achieve for himself his own wealth, virtue, and happiness. <\/span><\/p>\n

Ultimately, the idea of the wealthy being made to give up their own earnings for the benefit of the poor presents a disservice to both classes. \u00a0Such a proposal detracts from the value of the virtuous to unethically give handouts to the un-virtuous. \u00a0The only group of people who can correct the homelessness problem is the homeless themselves. \u00a0Such people can work themselves up to a higher situation through practicing the virtues of rationality, productiveness, and pride. \u00a0They must rationally asses that shelter is a value necessary to human survival, concluding that they must pursue such means to survival rather than expecting handouts. \u00a0Productiveness through means of a job will earn them an income and eventual home, and they will then be able to take pride in what they have earned for themselves. \u00a0For each individual man the problem of homelessness will then be solved, without placing an unnecessary and unethical burden upon other members of society.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mill here puts forth the irrational argument that society should be collectively held responsible for supporting the homeless. \u00a0Specifically, he advocates for Proposition 63, which proposes placing a 1% tax increase on income over a million dollars, and using the … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":314,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-554","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-rand"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/liberrimus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/554","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/liberrimus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/liberrimus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/liberrimus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/314"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/liberrimus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=554"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/liberrimus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/554\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":556,"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/liberrimus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/554\/revisions\/556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/liberrimus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/liberrimus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/liberrimus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}