Concordia res Parvae Crescunt
by William ‘BJ’ Lawson, UnitedLiberty.org
As various tax-related mail begins to appear in the mailboxes of hardworking Americans across the country, it’s instructive for all of us to reflect on why we carry the burden of our government every April.
Take this morning, for instance. We can credit the “ingenuity of the marketsâ€, and specifically the ingenuity of John Thain, for moving annual executive bonus payments by Merrill Lynch up by a month last November, thus disbursing $15 billion in executive bonuses just before closing Merrill’s acquisition by Bank of America. Fast forward a few months, and the United States taxpayer just gave Bank of America another $20 billion in newly-borrowed funds to put a band-aid on mortar wounds in Merrill Lynch’s balance sheet.
Doesn’t that make you relish the withholding from your paycheck? Seventy-five percent of the cash payment from our latest Bank of America bailout went directly to Merrill Lynch executives.
But wait, there’s more. Large companies predictably demonstrate that the best ways to embrace economic challenges are cost cutting, layoffs, and vaguely-defined attempts at increasing operational efficiency. One underappreciated source of operational efficiency is office redecorating — and in early 2008, John Thain spent $1.2 million renovating his office in Merrill Lynch’s midtown Manhattan office.
Please don’t misunderstand — I have nothing against a $1.2 million office overhaul paid for by Merrill Lynch. I simply object to an office overhaul followed by a massive transfusion from American taxpayers. Where’s my feng shui?
If you’re concerned about where your money is going as you pay taxes this April, I can think of several ways to respond. On one hand, I’d encourage you to consider the American banking system as a new national park. You’ve paid over $350 billion already, with trillions in future guarantees. In the case of Bank of America, the most recent $138 billion bailout dwarfs its market capitalization, so you own it just as certainly as you own Yosemite.
Visit the offices of local TARP-receiving banks. Enjoy a cup of coffee, admire the decorations on the walls. If you’ve been laid off, evicted, or otherwise having trouble making ends meet, you might try camping in the parking lot or on the leather couches inside.
If, however, you’ve had enough of the squandering of our nation’s wealth propping up a pyramid scheme that dwarfs Bernie Madoff’s wildest dreams, you might consider sending your Representative a message on February first. Or perhaps you can convince your Senator that it’s a bad idea to confirm a Treasury secretary who can’t even use TurboTax.
In the cold, hard light of current events, and considering that the vast majority of income tax collected goes simply to cover interest payments on a national debt created by the same banking system we are bailing out, I ask again:
Why do you pay taxes?
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I pay income taxes for the reason I suppose most other Americans pay income taxes, because it is a law (supposedly), “government legislationâ€, which obligates us to pay income taxes or suffer the consequences of government wrath. Ironically it is fellow citizens serving on a citizen Jury that authorizes the use of government wrath against us. Citizens no longer understand their Duty as a Juror.
Then consider every business, manufacturer, shop owner, and even in some circumstances every individual is a government agent by some “government legislation†obligated to collect taxes for government.
As long as such criminal (unconstitutional) legislation is on the books government police and courts will enforce it. The citizenry has no constitutional means to directly repeal unconstitutional laws but do have direct means to not rehire Lawmakers enacting and not repealing those criminal laws; reference Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution.
Allan
Lately I've been reading a lot ( on the web ) about what the law ( title 26 of the USC ) really says about income taxes and who should by law have to pay them. Maybe not this year but soon I will have gathered enough info to be able to make a decision on whether I will continue to voluntarily give my money to a criminal enterprise called the federal gov't. It's what you don't know that is hurting you.
I explained the reason I obey all laws (to the best of my ability) and the only power I have to use against legislation is when serving as a Juror to nullify it and nullify does not repeal it.
Slavery was 200 years old in the Colonies before the creation of the USA in 1787 so I really can’t say what I would have done then. Slavery, both political and economic, is alive and well in the USA today and I am doing my best to get such laws repealed. The only “constitutional” power of force the People have to use to get legislation repealed is to vote to not reelect Legislators and Congressmen that are not working to repeal such unconstitutional legislation.
Do you support political and economic slavery by reelecting known criminals to make law?
Allan
Allen, while I strongly agree with your position about federal laws that are directed at individuals, I have to cringe a bit when you saw you follow ALL laws.
Does that mean that in the 19th century, you would've returned escaped slaves, because it's the law?
I would assume that you have some point where you won't go along with the injustice. Don't we all?
And on a side note, jury nullification is something we just don't hear enough of these days. Fully Informed Jury Association!
Do I follow all laws? Yes, or otherwise by subjected to government police harassment/arrest and fined or incarcerated by government courts.
In my opinion all laws directed at citizens, particularly laws infringing on a Right, are unconstitutional and all such laws are unjust.
I do not see a benefit in being a martyr so feel the best efforts in combating unconstitutional and unjustly applied laws is when serving as a Juror nullify them and not reelecting Lawmakers that enact such legislation.
Allan
Allen, do you follow all laws just because they are "laws"? Is it possible for laws to be unjust? and, could there ever be a law that you'd refuse to follow because it violated your moral fiber to do so?
I pay income taxes for the reason I suppose most other Americans pay income taxes, because it is a law (supposedly), “government legislation”, which obligates us to pay income taxes or suffer the consequences of government wrath. Ironically it is fellow citizens serving on a citizen Jury that authorizes the use of government wrath against us. Citizens no longer understand their Duty as a Juror.
Then consider every business, manufacturer, shop owner, and even in some circumstances every individual is a government agent by some “government legislation” obligated to collect taxes for government.
As long as such criminal (unconstitutional) legislation is on the books government police and courts will enforce it. The citizenry has no constitutional means to directly repeal unconstitutional laws but do have direct means to not rehire Lawmakers enacting and not repealing those criminal laws; reference Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution.
Allan
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I explained the reason I obey all laws (to the best of my ability) and the only power I have to use against legislation is when serving as a Juror to nullify it and nullify does not repeal it.
Slavery was 200 years old in the Colonies before the creation of the USA in 1787 so I really can’t say what I would have done then. Slavery, both political and economic, is alive and well in the USA today and I am doing my best to get such laws repealed. The only “constitutional†power of force the People have to use to get legislation repealed is to vote to not reelect Legislators and Congressmen that are not working to repeal such unconstitutional legislation.
Do you support political and economic slavery by reelecting known criminals to make law?
Allan
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