Which of the Following Is Most Plausibly Considered a Counterexample

question 35

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is most plausibly considered a counterexample to the principle that it is always wrong to betray your country?

• A) In 2001, the FBI agent Robert Hanssen confessed that he had betrayed his country by selling American state secrets to the Russians. He had spent fifteen years as a double agent simply for the sake of money and excitement. His actions led to the deaths of several people involved in American intelligence efforts.
• B) During the American Revolution, thousands of colonists remained loyal to the British crown. When the war ended and Britain acknowledged the United States' independence, as many as 60,000 of these "loyalists" left the United States to settle in other parts of the British Empire.
• C) Mohandas Gandhi was born in India in 1869, during the period of the British Empire's colonial rule there. Gandhi eventually became a prominent leader of nonviolent resistance to British rule, helping to secure India's independence from Britain in 1947.
• D) German bureaucrat Fritz Kolbe worked in Adolf Hitler's foreign ministry during World War II. From 1943 until the end of the war, Kolbe smuggled Nazi secrets to American intelligence officers in Switzerland, providing valuable information that helped the Allies defeat Hitler. In doing so, Kolbe betrayed his country.

---

Definitions:

Tax Incidence

The analysis of the effect of a particular tax on the distribution of economic welfare, including who ultimately pays the tax.

Deadweight Loss

A loss of economic efficiency that occurs when the equilibrium for a good or service is not achieved or is not achievable.

Tax Revenue

The income gained by governments through taxation, used to fund public services and government obligations.

Excise Taxes

Taxes levied on the sale of specific goods and services, often included in the price of products like gasoline, alcohol, and tobacco.