Huh. Ok. I mean they sell their goods so that they can pay their taxes just like the rest of us. Being Amish doesn’t get you any sort of pass or anything in that regard.
…hand-made, Amish produced goods are sold to the wider world. And that’s a selling point for those goods. They very much so participate in wider capitalism.
They participate voluntarily because they benefit from it. You don’t have to work for anyone else, but the same is true for farmers - they don’t have to grow your food.
No they don’t. They have to own their land and pay taxes just like everyone else. They can’t farm dollar bills; they must participate in capitalism to obtain money to pay their taxes. They’re no different than a person of any other religion or social group choosing to live a homesteading lifestyle. Even communist communes must participate in capitalism for the exact same reasons. It doesn’t matter if you’re producing a good to sell or selling your time as a service. This is a capitalist country; you cannot completely opt out.
Except that the Amish exist…
Are you saying the poor should kill the existing land owners so they can colonize Pennsylvania?
Who’s ancestors got large areas of free or cheap land when they came to the United States. They also work regular jobs in their communities.
Are you suggesting the Amish don’t participate in the labor market?
No. I’m suggesting that the Amish are not enslaved to capitalists.
Huh. Ok. I mean they sell their goods so that they can pay their taxes just like the rest of us. Being Amish doesn’t get you any sort of pass or anything in that regard.
…hand-made, Amish produced goods are sold to the wider world. And that’s a selling point for those goods. They very much so participate in wider capitalism.
They participate voluntarily because they benefit from it. You don’t have to work for anyone else, but the same is true for farmers - they don’t have to grow your food.
No they don’t. They have to own their land and pay taxes just like everyone else. They can’t farm dollar bills; they must participate in capitalism to obtain money to pay their taxes. They’re no different than a person of any other religion or social group choosing to live a homesteading lifestyle. Even communist communes must participate in capitalism for the exact same reasons. It doesn’t matter if you’re producing a good to sell or selling your time as a service. This is a capitalist country; you cannot completely opt out.
The Amish pay their taxes.