Comments on: Tax Day

By: Keithius

Keithius — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 21:19:24 +0000

It’s really, really hard when the government has NUKES. Never mind the patriot missiles, the tanks, the helicopters, jet planes, unmanned surveillance drones… hmmm… we may be too late!

By: Keith Bertelsen

Keith Bertelsen — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 18:28:14 +0000

Let’s just pray they don’t try to take our guns away first. A well-armed civilian militia is essential to the defense of any state from totalitarianism.

So, how do we go about starting the Second American Revolution?

By: Keithius

Keithius — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:23:42 +0000

That’s a really good idea - I’ve always thought laws needed an “expiration date” of sorts.
But you’re right - it is sad that such a thing will never happen.
Well, I guess that just leaves armed rebellion. Yee-haw!

By: Keith Bertelsen

Keith Bertelsen — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 12:57:14 +0000

Well, the Constitution grants the Federal government the right to “coin money, regulate the value thereof and of foreign coin” (Section 1.8, line 5). The Federal Bank was one of the big issues in Washington’s day; unfortunately, Hamilton got his wish, and the Federal Reserve isn’t something that’s going away anytime soon.

Income taxes, though, are not in the Constitution as originally written (though added by Amendment later)–our Founding Fathers undoubtedly wanted us to fund the government mostly through duties and such.

Stopping this on the government level seems nigh-impossible at this point. Even Reagan wasn’t able to actually get anything cut, and that was one of the big things he went for.

Sometimes I think we ought to wipe the entire slate of laws clean and start over. Alternatively, to borrow from Heinlein, somehow create a system by which every N years (say, 20), a law must be re-passed by the legislature (Heinlein suggested a 3/4 majority in this case) or it goes away. It would clear out a lot of crap laws over time, and would help get rid of cruft.

However, no one would ever consider implementing it. Sadly.

By: Keithius

Keithius — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 12:44:11 +0000

Right, but income taxes are probably not the way the founding fathers saw as the “right” way for Government to accomplish those few things that Government is meant to do (roads, military, postal service, etc.)

Remember as well that money was originally handled by private banks - the government had no constitutional authority to “make” money. It was only after banks kept collapsing that the need for a federalized, centralized bank became clear.

This is just another example of how government has “creeped” into things - many (if not most) of which it has no good right to be doing.

As I’ve said before, this is endemic to all large organizations - the “bureaucratic effect”, if you will.

The question is… how to stop it?

By: Keith Bertelsen

Keith Bertelsen — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:41:44 +0000

To be fair, though, there are some things the government does as specified in the Constitution that we should pay taxes for. For example, coining money or maintaining a military.

Mind, I think we’ve gone way overboard, but I’m not convinced taxes are evil so much as the things we do with said taxes are.