What does your version of reality look like?

Politics is a messy business driven by ideology, religion and or moral perspective, personal belief systems, personal interest and greed. That heady mixture defines a person's notion of reality and so the choices that they make.

One person's reality may be that the State should provide for their needs without asking awkward questions or needing to work for that the money. They believe they have a right to certain essentials of modern life including a home and all that goes in it, transportation, personal communication and money to spend.

Their reality is that the State should pay for this; they have rights and they intend to exercise them.

An alternative version of reality is that the State is a thief who takes money from those who work for it with the threat of violence and imprisonment if you dare to deny the request to pay to give to others who may or may not be deserving. By taking money from many people, the State is able to employ professionals who will come after you if you do not agree to pay the money over willingly. This is called taxation by some and extortion by others depending on who is asking for the money.

Some of that money can then be given to those who think they have a right to receive it. Some will go to other causes that the 'donor' has no control over.

We have several alternative realities here.

Which helps to explain why when you ask if a system like general taxation is fair, relevant or moral you can get some strange reactions from those you ask the question of.

You have asked that person to question their version of reality and that's painful. It's a big question and most of the time big questions are too bothersome to deal with.

Instead you are likely to encounter anger or reproach as a means of not dealing with the big question of their reality.

But, sometimes it's worth asking that question, especially when the State the puts these rules, taxes and laws into place and fails to ask you whether you wanted to be taxed more or where you would like that money to be spent.

My reality and your reality may be utterly different and that's worth thinking about as those in Government decide what money to spend on whom. It's not the State's money. It was taken from me and you and 60 million others under threat of force.

Now does that reality sound like a modern enlightened society or a country run as a mafia fiefdom?