It’s tax season. Consider what that means. It’s the time of year when you must account for yourself to the government. You must report every dime you earned last year, and if you believe any of it should be beyond the state’s grasp, you’d better have the proof. If the government withheld more of your money than (you think) the rules require, it is your burden to prove that. You then must submit the official paperwork by a certain time. If the authorities are not satisfied with what you submit, they will demand that you prove you’ve done it right. If you can’t, you’ll have to do it their way and pay more. Should you refuse to comply with any of these requirements — and a lot more no one understands — the government has the power to make your life hell and impose additional financial burdens. It can even imprison you.See the rest of my op-ed here.
And all in a country most people would swear is free.
Proudly delegitimizing the state since 2005
"Aye, free! Free as a tethered ass!" —W.S. Gilbert
"All the affairs of men should be managed by individuals or voluntary associations, and . . . the State should be abolished." —Benjamin Tucker
"You must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself." —James Madison
"Fat chance." —Sheldon Richman
I don't know which is worse, having to account for yourself to the government or having to pay for things that you don't want or need. Both under penalty of prison or death. What a wonderful country we live in.
ReplyDeleteI'll say this, Sheldon, as a CPA who prepares a lot of tax returns, my only concern is to keep my clients and myself out of trouble with the government, and nothing more. I could care less if one of my clients is under reporting their income or over reporting their expenses, as long as they don't tell me about it or make it too obvious. If they can get away with it without getting themselves in trouble then good for them, and the parasites who live off of government coercion can go screw themselves.
Dear Sheldon,
ReplyDeleteYour cogent comments are incontrovertible. Your articles consistently point out the immense flaws both in “democracy” and the American Thugatarian State. You have the Big Picture. And yet... Yet, do you “hope” to live your life ever, with true freedom, liberty, private property rights and privacy, in your lifetime or that your children or grandchildren (if you have any) that they will someday exercise the above mentioned attributes of a “free, civil system?” Poppycock! “Ain’t” gonna happen! Only the seriously addlepated, heavily drugged or sedated, non-thinking government-schooled, tribally inculcated person would argue otherwise. And that said ... there appears to be many standing inline to argue.
I left America nearly thirty-years ago at age 45. I’m 75 now. I’ve stayed in places that offer the greatest degree of freedom, liberty, privacy and private property rights in this world: Switzerland, Monaco, Campione, San Marino and many other places that offer freedom that Americans have never—and will never experience until the “now” system collapses. No brag, just fact. I valued my individual freedom so much that I was willing to “pay the price” to get “the hell out” of the American system of subjugation and live as free as one could in this world. Expensive? Yep!
America, “land of the free?” Please! Daily life is already filled with enough moronic insults than to listen to Americans talk about how free they are... Freedom in America is feeling free and easy in your harness—with the American thugatarian government maintaining absolute control of the reins! Yep, the American government-controlled school system has been a raving success and the booboisie that VOTE for the system, equals proof! BEST choice: LEAVE. No talk. Leave.
Why would anyone that truly holds his or her personal freedom and liberty paramount, live the only life you will ever have in a country like America? Yes, yes, now the void of silence will be filled with all of the “masses of asses” thundering how wonderful it is to live there—as most submit to the plundering hot iron of taxation without even a second thought. The rich will leave at some point and take their capital with them. (They already are!) The American Empire will trek on to a horrendous, catastrophic end. You already know this. So why are you still living in such a “hell-hole?” Excuses anybody? Here they come, the hopeful people....
In liberty,
Capt. A.
Principality of Monaco
Nice read! Generally people are prepared to pay taxes. The problem arises when they are not capable to understand the tax laws correctly and as a result have to face the wrath of the revenue department.
ReplyDelete"Nice read! Generally people are prepared to pay taxes. The problem arises when they are not capable to understand the tax laws correctly and as a result have to face the wrath of the revenue department."
ReplyDeleteAmen to that. And who can understand some of the more obscure tax laws? Only trained professionals. Just having a much simpler tax code would make taxes a lot less objectionable.
Of course taxes being less objectionable may be a good or bad thing depending on your viewpoint :).
There was a great Onion article a couple of years ago that said "New Poll finds 86 Percent of Americans Don't Want to Have a Country Anymore", and this part is well worth quoting:
ReplyDelete"'I already belong to a health club, a church, and the Kiwanis Club,' Tammy Golden of Los Angeles wrote. 'I'm a member of the Von's Grocery Super Savers, which gets me a discount on certain groceries. These are all well-managed organizations with real benefits. None of them send me a confusing bill once a year and make me work it out myself, then throw me in jail if I get it wrong.'"
Ah, if only it were true that Americans made use of such wonderful logic!