Every time I read “my tax dollars shouldn’t be used for”, I know something pretty asshatty will follow. More often than not, it will be something either ignorant or insensitive or, in the worst cases, both. Exhibit A: the comments on this post.
Those comments are absolutely terrible, but I do find it a tricky issue. I consider access to sex reassignment a human right and do believe anyone should have access to the required surgeries, but in the US, that is not the case. People need to foot the bill themselves, mostly, which is terrible but the way things currently are. Obviously this person cannot save the money, being in jail and all, so that makes it tricky. I think the state should pay, but then I think the state should pay for all such surgeries (and, you know, other life-saving procedures like cancer treatment). I can somewhat understand that if the state doesn’t provide outside of jail, people get upset when it does do so inside jail. You know? It’s not a very pretty response, really (I can’t have what they can have so they shouldn’t get it either), but I think it’s understandable up to a point.
I fully agree with you. My point is more about the “authority” implied in “MY taxpayer dollars”, like the fact that someone pays taxes gives them the right to decide on the fate of an individual. It completely defeats the purpose of a democratic system (where precisely we elect a government that will keep everyone’s best interests in mind, instead of having lynching mob capabilities to decide how resources are allocated). Even very progressive types fall into this trap sometimes (as the comments in that post show). It’s like the “an eye for an eye” principle applied to wealth distribution (like you rightfully said “if I cannot have it, nobody else should).
Maybe this is another way in which corporate culture has influenced our political views? You know "the customer (the person who pays) is always right”.
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