Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Most American's don't understand their own history



I find that most American's don't understand their own history. The public schools rewrite it. If only people knew the real reason why we don't have a law for an income tax in this country: Our forefathers designed it that way. I think that more people would be accepting of the idea that there is no law requiring individuals to pay income tax if they understood why our forefathers gave us the Constitution that they did.

Our American forefathers knew what they were doing when they made federal income taxes illegal. They were fully aware that history abounded with examples of governments encroaching on the liberties of its citizens. James Madison wrote, "Since the general civilization of mankind, I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpation." This is the reason why they only gave the federal government two means of collecting taxes, knowing full well that it is taxes that grow governments.

The first method allows the federal government to tax the states (direct taxes apportioned). This forces the federal government to negotiate with entities large and powerful enough to resist. This provides for the balance of power principle our forefathers valued so immensely and interwove so intricately into a government that has thus far withstood the test of time.

The second method allowed for the federal government to tax the individual, but only if the individual had the option not to pay those taxes, as is the case for alcohol, and tobacco (indirect taxes unapportioned). This allowed an individual to say within their selves, "I do not like the way my government is spending my money, so I am not going to give them anymore by buying this or that product that I would enjoy ordinarily." The decision to buy or not to buy is far easier and far more effective than hitching a ride on a horse and carriage to Washington and holding up placards. Our forefathers knew that the demands of life do not always allow us the time to formally petition our government. Besides, placards can be ignored. The purse ... not so easy.

Instead of our forefather's original vision, today we have the federal government railroading the individual into paying income taxes under threat of prison or the confiscation of their property. Just as our forefathers feared, the federal government has grown large and unaccountable to the people, sending "swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out of their substance." (Declaration of Independence.) And the federal government actively does all of this without ever having altered the Constitution (in other words, illegally). Click here for more.

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