Why-Passes and a History Lesson
chilibean
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Guest Writer | |
Hey everyone, this is chilibean with another article! Now, I've heard a lot of complaints about the Why-Passes, and you've all had some great comments and ideas about them. But I think you should listen to this before you think anything else about the Why-Passes, because this is a great example of Why-Passes!
Now, back a long time ago when the United States had won their victory from England they had something called the Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation was the constitution for the U.S. before they wrote the one they have now. It said some different stuff, like the government can't settle disputes between states, and they couldn't draft an army (it was optional), and a lot of other stuff like that.
But the big connection to the Why-Passes is that the citizens of the United States didn't have to pay taxes. It was optional. (See, they did that kind of stuff so they wouldn't be like England.) No one wanted to pay taxes after having a revolution all about it, so they didn't!
The connection: with things like Club Why, you had the option not to pay with real dollars, just like the no taxes thing. Club Why was kind of like Whyville's Articles of Confederation, their first try.
Later, when the Constitution was established (at the Constitutional Convention, May 14-25, 1787) they decided that the people did have to pay taxes! So you see how the Why-Passes are just like that? But the great part is, YOU DON'T HAVE TO BUY A WHY-PASS!
Now, I'd like to do one last thing before I buzz away. I know the money from Why-Passes will be used to buy new servers, computers, etc. But I'd like to ask City Hall a question I haven't seen anyone ask. Once we have enough money to buy all this stuff, will we get rid of the waiting room and let everyone on? Or do you expect that the growing rate of our town will get so big as to where we won't be able to go back to the way it was?
Well, if you've read this far, I thank you for reading my opinion! This is chilibean, signing off.
superid
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City Worker | |
Great article, and great question!
Hi there, this is superid, one of the city workers, and also the person, along with my wife Carolina, who has so far provided a good hunk of the financial support for Whyville.
Chilibean's comparison of the history of Whyville with the history of the United States is a very good one. At the end of her article, Chilibean asked what is a very interesting question: "Once we have the money for new servers and computers, can Whyville become completely free again?" The best answer to this question also comes from the history of the United States, and really that of all modern governments.
If the U.S. government stopped collecting taxes, there would be no money to keep building roads, to help schools, to develop new technologies (like the internet), or to pay for many other services for citizens. The expenses for Whyville, just like for any government, are continuous: every month we need to pay for our internet connection, rent, insurance, and so on.
Similarly, without income, city workers would not be able to continue to work on improving Whyville. So, it is just a fact of life that if you want something to keep growing and getting better, the need for financial support does not stop.
Every Whyvillian should know that city workers continue to look for other sources of support for our community, some even from the U.S. government. But the most important support is from Whyvillians themselves, because everyone knows that ultimately the growth and prosperity of any community depends on the support of its citizens.
superid
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