(02-03-2020, 12:28 PM)TrivialPursuit Wrote:

(02-03-2020, 12:22 PM)flsprtsgod Wrote: There's a significant amount of research available the proves the existence of The Nudge. Soda taxes are the big one to point at today, the idea that soda consumption (a societal evil as it increases health care costs) can be reduced through taxation, and thus far it has within small geographic limits. Whether health care costs should be a societal concern at all is a different conversation though. Cigarette and alcohol taxes work the same way and we've seen reductions in their use over time. Likewise, we see the tax code encourage or discourage other behaviors as well including marriage, family planning, and home ownership. I am not saying that every instance of taxation was intended as a societal benefit, most really are just cash grabs to feed the mouth of the Federal Machine, but there's significant documentation that shows that tax policy can elicit desired behaviors. The problem for most of us is exactly whose desires are we achieving and how many people didn't get to fulfill their own as a result?

Hence my fear of social engineering. No, it doesn't truly affect the intelligent because we can see it happening... but 80% of people aren't intelligent enough to know when they are being nudged by the government to a particular way of acting or thinking. They merely see it as an extra fee or tax they have to pay and therefore stop doing it... exactly what the social engineers want

The paradox of sin taxes is that as the revenue comes in, the government comes to count on that revenue.
So with one hand they restrict gambling to the lottery and the Seminole tribe, then with the other hand they buy advertisements to promote playing the lottery and visiting the Seminole tribe properties using various tax dollars.
On the one hand they keep tight control of liquor licenses and collect alcohol taxes, on the other hand our local and state governments will promote fun events (like Jaguars games) where a lot of alcohol will be served.
It kind of hurts your head if you think about it that much.

---