There's no such thing as a free lunch.

Sorry, but I'm going to make a quick rant.

Sometimes I wonder ....

=======

At yesterday's talk, one of my colleagues said that education in Germany is free.

Later, during the discussion, I said, "Education in Germany is not free. You pay for it through your taxes."

Another colleague, who had studied in Europe said, "Oh but when I was there I was as a student so I didn't pay taxes."

I was puzzled. But you did pay taxes! Every time that you went out and bought food at the grocery or ate at a restaurant or paid your bills, a significant percentage of that went to the government coffers which provide for, among other things, the education of the populace.

Second anecdote. Many months ago I was at a meeting about social justice at school. A colleague recounted to me the story of a friend of hers, a lawyer, whom she was trying to get involved in some manner of political action. My colleague was annoyed at her friend for "not being involved" in nation-building. Her friend said, "I am involved. I pay my taxes in their entirety, and religiously. Almost forty percent of my income goes to the country." My colleague was recounting this story with incredulity, as if to say, "I can't believe that she thinks she's doing something for the country simply because she's paying her taxes!"

Well, duh. I do think it's noble to be involved politically in a way that transcends paying one's taxes but at the same time, her lawyer-friend did have a point.

======

Of course I'm aware that corruption in government muddles the whole discussion of taxation. But the fact of corruption shouldn't impede us from talking about the extremely basic issue of taxation.

Social services don't grow on trees.