"My taxes pay your salary!" is a horrible argument, and I've heard it too.
Yes, you pay your taxes, and my salary is funded from taxes.
However, if you die/move/stop paying taxes, I still get my salary.
Ergo, your taxes do not pay my salary. Your taxes - and every single other person who pays taxes - are placed into a nebulous cloud of money called "The Budget".
The Budget is where my salary comes from.
In a similar vein is the, "you're a civil servant, you work for me!" Again, no, I don't. I work for my employer, which happens to be funded from The Budget. If I screw up, my supervisor and/or manager comes down on me. Unless it's a truly epic screw up worthy of the news, you'll probably never hear about the mistakes I make. Obviously, I *don't* work for you. I provide a service you use. There is a large difference.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
branchandroot
Re: Ah, the unwashed heathens
Date: 2009-03-03 01:16 am (UTC)Yes, you pay your taxes, and my salary is funded from taxes.
However, if you die/move/stop paying taxes, I still get my salary.
Ergo, your taxes do not pay my salary. Your taxes - and every single other person who pays taxes - are placed into a nebulous cloud of money called "The Budget".
The Budget is where my salary comes from.
In a similar vein is the, "you're a civil servant, you work for me!" Again, no, I don't. I work for my employer, which happens to be funded from The Budget. If I screw up, my supervisor and/or manager comes down on me. Unless it's a truly epic screw up worthy of the news, you'll probably never hear about the mistakes I make. Obviously, I *don't* work for you. I provide a service you use. There is a large difference.