Posted by jfkennedy on 11/14/09
Last updated 11/16/09

All patriotic Americans must enjoy paying income taxes, especially to finance benign protective foreign invasions, impartial Wall Street bailouts, pre-eminent industrial cartels, philanthropic world hegemony, and brilliant public education.  But seriously folks, perhaps, they are amused by the imbecilic grandeur of it all instead, else they would collectively refuse to pay. 

I do not mean that they would stop paying income taxes individually, a la Irwin Schiff, on the less than slim chance that the courts would enforce the Fourth and Fifth Amendments to the Constitution.  Few of them would relish sharing a prison cell with the quixotic old warrior. 

On the contrary, if they were not so entertained by the stupendous show for which they dearly pay, they would have voted long ago to abolish the income tax.  Taxpayers are far and away the largest voting block there is.  By contrast, redistributees are a scattered hodgepodge of diverse interests from banksters to unwed mothers who buy politicians with bribes or votes.  The largest interest group of all is the one that pays for all the rest.  As such, it is strange they have not effectively hawked their votes on the congressional trading floor.  It might be an amusing change of pace for the goats to nudge their masters as they stoop to fill the hog trough.  What might happen if tax chumps demanded just enough to get their overlords' attention, say a one year income tax suspension?  Wouldn't their employees in congress have to play along in most districts or loose their seats?  As for whence the funding for such a  tax vacation, need taxpayers be any more concerned than any of the tax consumers?  It is not the fault of tax mules that tax guzzlers fell for the bogus sales pitch of the brokers of forced labor on the campaign trail.

Wouldn't it be fun to see congress, the executive, and the courts squirm?  How would they avoid defaulting on the national debt and mooning the dollar?  Would they begin to abandon military occupations in the Middle East, Asia, and Europe?  Would they sell government properties?  Would they panic and even consider the Liberty Amendment?  How would the economy fair if average workers could keep thousands more of their own earnings?   What would happen if the public began to take financial command of the economy, social welfare, and national security away from the central government?  The answers are worth the risk of disrupting income taxes, and for the voter, the risk of an IRS audit is low.

Posted 11/19/09 usapatriot Milton, VT

Good post JF. It is indeed ironic and frustrating that We, the People are forced at gunpoint to pay for policies that are contrary to our best interests, and the best interests of the vast majority of U.S. citizens. We fund a government that erodes our civil liberties at every opportunity, ignores the rule of law, and treats The Constitution like a door mat. I'll suggest the idea of a 1 year tax holiday to my Congressman as an "economic stimulus" measure.

Posted by jfkennedy on 11/03/09
Last updated 11/03/09

The Liberty Amendment has been introduced and reintroduced in congress several times since 1952 and 6 times by Ron Paul since 1998, but it has not developed enough exposure and popular appeal to pass a constitutional amendment.   It is not long at less than half a page, and it is not hard to understand.   It is fiscally sound in that it would fund the loss of revenue occasioned by its fourth section which would repeal the Sixteenth Amendment.  Yet, it has been relatively impotent for nearly 30 years since Arizona, Indiana and Mississippi became the last of 9 states to adopt it.  This reveals that it has not found a way to attract the average taxpayer.  What it needs is a conveyance to introduce it to the public and to educate it.  It has no teeth, because it is not a popular threat to the income tax.  It would be an excellent companion for a serious popular threat to the income tax, but plainly from its history, it is not by itself a vigorous threat.  A real challenge would involve a public appeal stronger than that of the special interests. 

Since taxpayers make up the largest of all special interests, go figure why they have not rallied behind the Liberty Amendment to protect themselves from from all the grasping interests.   Have they lost patience with it?  After all, it was introduced almost 60 years ago and has stalled for nearly 30.  How about re-introducing it by way of a simpler, more direct first step?  Mobilize taxpayers now to vote for new candidates for congress or incumbents who support a temporary income tax suspension, say for a year.  Buying their votes with their own earnings is better than buying other people's votes with it.   Since they are the largest special interest in every congressional district, they could have a tremendous effect on next year's elections.   What better way to invigorate the Liberty Amendment and revive the momentum to pass it?

Posted by jfkennedy on 11/02/09
Last updated 11/03/09

Is there a legal way not to pay income tax without triggering an IRS audit?  Of course there is; vote for it.  With effective promotion,  taxpayers will vote for politicians to suspend income taxes, at least temporarily, say for one year.  If people will vote for vote-brokers to nationalize health care, start wars, and subsidize financial and industrial cartels, taxpayers will certainly trade their votes to keep their earnings for at least a year.  Suspending income taxes would allow those who earned the money to keep it versus transferring it to those who covet it by politicians buying votes or distributing favors.  Who deserves the money more, those who work for it or those who vote to take it away for their own or others narrow interests?  If voting to relocate income is fair, voting to keep ones own belongings must be at least as fair, and as such, is a morally more justifiable reason for voting.

The threat of a popular income tax suspension can be a powerful counterweight to profligate spending for special interests.  It does not matter how to pay for a tax suspension.  What matters is that it is possible to convince majorities in most congressional districts to unseat the rogues in congress who represent limited interests at citizen expense.  That is the pressure needed to get congress to recognize the folly of record deficit spending and to consider the real cost cutting, decolonizing, and selling needed to get the economy under control.  Returning income taxes to the citizens for a year would stimulate the economy, as it would add to consumption, savings, bank deposits, investments, production, and jobs.  It would certainly boost the economy better than bailing out over-exposed banks, unsound industries, and failed states.  It might even get voters used to the idea and stimulate the public will to abolish the income tax and the IRS for keeps.

This ultimate tax rebellion would overpower all narrower interests in favor of the largest interest group of all, the one that finances all the rest and pays the interest on the national debt.  Talk about leverage!  The group that pays holds all the cards, but inexplicably, it does not play them.  The special interests play hardball with their neighbor's money when they trade their votes and bribes for favors.  The people who pay the bills can sell their votes to politicians who know how to win fairly without plundering their neighbors.  They need an anti-statist to sponsor an income tax suspension bill in congress.  Then watch how exploited taxpayers flock to support it.

Posted by jfkennedy on 10/26/09
Last updated 10/26/09

If you are looking for horror stories this Halloween season, the scariest of all is The History of Money and Banking in the United States by Murray Rothbard, a free download at http://mises.org/books/historyofmoney.pdf.  Learn all about how the founding banksters created the most frightening monster ever to roam the earth.  Get right to the most terrifying part, The Origins of the Federal Reserve, pp 179 - 258.  It will raise your hair, rattle your teeth, and curdle your blood, but you will learn the true nature of the beast, the better to slay it.

Posted 10/26/09 bobjones68 Schaumburg, IL

jfkennedy -- thanks for mentioning this, I'll make sure to check it out today.

Posted by jfkennedy on 09/18/09
Last updated 09/18/09

I received an email from Senator Leahy (D - VT) this morning stating that he plans to co-sign S 604.  The first time I ever called a Senator's office, I got almost immediate results, but I have a feeling it wasn't just me.  If you haven't tried it yet, what are you waiting for?