Common Sense
I feel like I should write something about Common Sense. It's my philosophy that if you read a book, you should reflect upon it. But honestly I did not care much about what Paine wrote. That is probably in part because I obviously don't care much about anything right now. I don't think much about the American Revolution. I think England had every right to tax the colonies, they just perhaps weren't very effecient in the ways in which they chose to. I think the problem was the colonies got away for a hundred years without being heavily taxed, while the people lived in the motherland had taxes coming out of their ass because of all of the wars England was getting herself into. The colonies were part of England, why weren't they getting taxed as well? No taxation without representation? They were being represented. England believed in the philosophy of virtual representation, the colonies believed in the philosophy of actual representation. England did not see the colonies as a separate entity, thus the members of parliament were representing the common good of all Englishmen. Even in England the only people that could vote, let alone be members of Parliament, were white, upper-class landowners. That would make up a total of like eight people in the colonies. But anyway, even so, I don't know how actual representation would have worked. England and the colonies had a three month gap in communication. Say they send a Thomas Paine or Thomas Jefferson to parliament, he couldn't very well represent the colonies even if he passionately desired to, because he would no longer be in immediate communication with them. But perhaps this isn't a very strong point.
My main feeling is that, England had every right to tax the colonies, they were providing stability for the colonies, they provided security, they provided a market to Europe without which the colonies would have folded... There were wars being fought in the Americas with the French, with the Indians. The colonies had no military to speak of, without the backbone that is England, they really could have just been stepped on by everyone else there. England also provided an agreement with the colonies, absolutely everything grown in the colonies, England would purchase... a fragile new society was given a secure market. The colonies would not have been able to build up this market on their own.
The problem arose when a bunch of rich colonists didn't like having to give up some of their money through taxes. Do they really want to be fairly treated? Well, being taxed makes them more like the common Englishman than anything else. It wasn't a revolution of virtue... it was just human nature, people don't like giving up the dough, and so they protested. But they should get over it. England didn't make the colonies so a bunch of people could live happily without the concern of government, no! they made the colonies for commerce. And if you own land, you have every right to use it for whatever cause you see fit. So basically I think the revolutionaries are just bitching and moaning. But I guess that's just my opinion. I mean sure I would be unhappy with losing my money too, hell I don't like high gas prices. People in our country right now bitch about taxes all the time, but I don't think they realize how economics work. It's one think to argue that the government is not using the taxes correctly, that could be a legitimate argument, but still one of opinion, but to be adamant about making tax prices lower or non-existant wouldn't make one any more rich. If the entire nation had a tax cut of 20%, than there would be 20% more cash in the American market. If there is more money in the economoy, prices will correspondinly raise to meet the new standards. So yes, you technically have bigger paychecks, but at the same time it will cost more for basic accomodities, thus in the end you really are not any more rich. Taxes are a neccessary evil.
So anyway, Thomas Paine. My final impression on his book was that it was mostly propaganda. I feel like he had a lot he wanted to bitch about, and so he did. Hurrah for him. He made some interesting points, but the pathos aspect was so much stronger than the logos that I couldn't take the piece as a logical explanation of the need of independence, but just as an example of everything that England was doing to irritate the colonists. By the way, I don't particularly care for England or anything. The way in which they chose to impose certain taxes was absolutely assinine, I just feel they had the right to impose said taxes.
What a ridiculous reaction I had. Everything I'm reading is pissing me off. The Wife of Bath irritated me to no end.
My main feeling is that, England had every right to tax the colonies, they were providing stability for the colonies, they provided security, they provided a market to Europe without which the colonies would have folded... There were wars being fought in the Americas with the French, with the Indians. The colonies had no military to speak of, without the backbone that is England, they really could have just been stepped on by everyone else there. England also provided an agreement with the colonies, absolutely everything grown in the colonies, England would purchase... a fragile new society was given a secure market. The colonies would not have been able to build up this market on their own.
The problem arose when a bunch of rich colonists didn't like having to give up some of their money through taxes. Do they really want to be fairly treated? Well, being taxed makes them more like the common Englishman than anything else. It wasn't a revolution of virtue... it was just human nature, people don't like giving up the dough, and so they protested. But they should get over it. England didn't make the colonies so a bunch of people could live happily without the concern of government, no! they made the colonies for commerce. And if you own land, you have every right to use it for whatever cause you see fit. So basically I think the revolutionaries are just bitching and moaning. But I guess that's just my opinion. I mean sure I would be unhappy with losing my money too, hell I don't like high gas prices. People in our country right now bitch about taxes all the time, but I don't think they realize how economics work. It's one think to argue that the government is not using the taxes correctly, that could be a legitimate argument, but still one of opinion, but to be adamant about making tax prices lower or non-existant wouldn't make one any more rich. If the entire nation had a tax cut of 20%, than there would be 20% more cash in the American market. If there is more money in the economoy, prices will correspondinly raise to meet the new standards. So yes, you technically have bigger paychecks, but at the same time it will cost more for basic accomodities, thus in the end you really are not any more rich. Taxes are a neccessary evil.
So anyway, Thomas Paine. My final impression on his book was that it was mostly propaganda. I feel like he had a lot he wanted to bitch about, and so he did. Hurrah for him. He made some interesting points, but the pathos aspect was so much stronger than the logos that I couldn't take the piece as a logical explanation of the need of independence, but just as an example of everything that England was doing to irritate the colonists. By the way, I don't particularly care for England or anything. The way in which they chose to impose certain taxes was absolutely assinine, I just feel they had the right to impose said taxes.
What a ridiculous reaction I had. Everything I'm reading is pissing me off. The Wife of Bath irritated me to no end.