The government should not treat everyone the same

Reader comment on: Paul Ryan on MSNBC

Submitted by ben (United States), Nov 3, 2011 20:33

I am a teacher. If a child is choking in my class, should I give everyone the Heimlich? (or not give the choking child the Heimlich because I won't also have time to give the others the Heimlich) Should a parent give a swiss army knife to his two year old because he gave one to his 12 year old?

People are different, and the government should not tax people, or distribute resources at the same rate. Particularly when the government has historically been a source of much of this difference (slavery, red lining, sex discrimination etc), the government has the responsibility to help mend it. There should be consideration for the differences. If someone is able to pay more in taxes, great, tax them more. At the end of the day, they will still have more money than the poorer person. It is so easy and simple to say we should treat everyone the same, but this is a far cry from treating people equitably. It is very convenient to say we should treat everyone the same now, after centuries of advantage given to particular groups over others. Doing so only advantages those currently best off.

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