Frankly, you’re just playing stupid word games at this point. Define “socialism” however you like; I don’t especially care.

But the reality remains that a public service like waste collection is fundamentally a redistributive program — through government taxation and spending, certain people (usually the better-off) are subsidizing services for other people (usually the poorer) who wouldn’t have been able to afford it on their own.

If you are able to agree that public waste collection is a worthwhile government program (I’ve met one or two people who call themselves “minarchists” and disagree with this), then you have agreed that sometimes there are redistributive programs which are beneficial — which leads to the next question: what separates a good redistributive program from a bad one?

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    Progressive Reformation

    Written by

    A Right-Opposition for the New Left.

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