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The Logic of Collective Action

"The basic and most elementary goods or services provided by government, like defense and police protection, and the system of law and order generally, are such that they go to everyone or practically everyone in the nation. It would obviously not be feasible, if indeed it were possible, to deny the protection provided by the military services, the police, and the courts to those who did not voluntarily pay their share of the costs of government, and taxation is accordingly necessary" (Olson).

In this passage, the author is explaining how the most fundamental of services the government provides to its citizens cannot be given to a few or deliberately denied to a citizen. Even if the government could pick and choose who to offer these services to and who not to, it would be impractical and inconvenient to deny these services to those who did not pay their share in the cost.

I chose this passage to discuss because I agree with it. There are certain services that can be controlled in terms of distribution such as, electricity, gas, etc. and there are services that are very difficult, if not impossible, to control. This is why it is crucial that every citizen pays their fair share in taxes to ensure that everyone who benefits from certain services is contributing to them. Unfortunately, there are still cases of those who do not do their part reaping the same benefits as those who contribute in the manner that they are supposed to.

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