When I got in my car after work today, under my windshiled wiper was a flyer stating “Boycott the IRS.” It basically stated that since the Govt is abusing the system with our (taxpayers) money, the only way to stop this bullshit and send a message is to quit paying Uncle Sam.
Since I don’t really know all the workings behind the system, IN THEORY, what would happen if all americans (or a majority) said Fuck You and didn’t pay up? Can’t lock us all in jail can they?
P.S. The flyer looked liked a lame Microsoft Word document so I don’t know how serious it was. They were put on all the cars in the lot tho (approx 200). No number to reach and no meeting, so I guess they were just “throwing” the idea out there.
“I will stop the motor of the world.”
— John Galt (aka Alan Greenspan)
I’ve been waiting most of my life for the rational people of the world to go on strike — on strike against the belief that one person owes another health care, housing, education.
[quote]rainjack wrote:
The majority of Americans are employees who have all federal taxes withheld from their paycheck. There is hardly any way they can refuse to pay taxes.
In fact, they probably have more withheld than is needed, and file a tax returnto get their over payment back.
They are completely ignorant as to exactly how much tax they pay. [/quote]
Good point, for some reason I didn’t even think about that since I am an independent contractor and pay all of mine at once.
[quote]Headhunter wrote:
What would happen if Atlas did indeed Shrug?
“I will stop the motor of the world.”
— John Galt (aka Alan Greenspan)
I’ve been waiting most of my life for the rational people of the world to go on strike — on strike against the belief that one person owes another health care, housing, education.[/quote]
The majority of voters will always support wealth redistribution, as the majority pay fuck-all income tax.
[quote]Regular Gonzalez wrote:
Headhunter wrote:
What would happen if Atlas did indeed Shrug?
“I will stop the motor of the world.”
— John Galt (aka Alan Greenspan)
I’ve been waiting most of my life for the rational people of the world to go on strike — on strike against the belief that one person owes another health care, housing, education.
The majority of voters will always support wealth redistribution, as the majority pay fuck-all income tax.
[/quote]
If you have earned income (if you have a job), you pay taxes. You may not pay income tax, but you do pay social security and medicare taxes at a rate of 7.65% if you are an employee, 15.3% of you are self-employed.
Good luck getting enough people to do that make a difference. Fear of civil penalties and criminal liability is a pretty strong deterrent for most. As a practical matter, it can’t really happen for the reasons Rainjack said.
[quote]jsbrook wrote:
Good luck getting enough people to do that make a difference. Fear of civil penalties and criminal liability is a pretty strong deterrent for most. As a practical matter, it can’t really happen for the reasons Rainjack said.[/quote]
We currently are half-slave, half-free. Deducting taxes, leaving individuals no say in money taken from them and quite probably w/o their consent, is the mark of slavery. We presently get to vote who our masters are.
[quote]dk44 wrote:
When I got in my car after work today, under my windshiled wiper was a flyer stating “Boycott the IRS.” It basically stated that since the Govt is abusing the system with our (taxpayers) money, the only way to stop this bullshit and send a message is to quit paying Uncle Sam.
Since I don’t really know all the workings behind the system, IN THEORY, what would happen if all americans (or a majority) said Fuck You and didn’t pay up? Can’t lock us all in jail can they?
P.S. The flyer looked liked a lame Microsoft Word document so I don’t know how serious it was. They were put on all the cars in the lot tho (approx 200). No number to reach and no meeting, so I guess they were just “throwing” the idea out there.
So F U Irwin R. Shyster!
[/quote]
Even if this were to happen – that society collectively decided to withdraw all financial support from its government – do you really think this would benefit us on the whole? Sure, the Government is rightfully being accused of being unscrupulous, even corrupt, in the way it handles our money. But if we decide to bankrupt the system to the point that it ceases to function, we’d simply VERY QUICKLY find ourselves in a dire situation which would force us to call upon new leaders with new plans who would require funding, which would require regulation – ie, a new government.
Instead, we need to do what any good manager does with its employees (which is what the government is – an employee of its people): Hold it/them accountable.
Our system isn’t broken – it just needs some serious fixin’.
[quote]Headhunter wrote:
jsbrook wrote:
Good luck getting enough people to do that make a difference. Fear of civil penalties and criminal liability is a pretty strong deterrent for most. As a practical matter, it can’t really happen for the reasons Rainjack said.
We currently are half-slave, half-free. Deducting taxes, leaving individuals no say in money taken from them and quite probably w/o their consent, is the mark of slavery. We presently get to vote who our masters are.
What a sad fate for a great country.
[/quote]
So what’s your suggested alternative?
Is it not necessary for such a large and complex society to delegate a certain degree of authority to some decision-making figure(s), lest we be bogged down by too many decisions that must be made by the whole?
I certainly don’t consider ANY politician to be my master. He/she may spend my money in a manner I see unfit, so I am entitled to vote in their opposition and encourage others to do the same – or to find a new country to live in with a different set of governing laws to abide by. In my opinion, despite our system’s obvious flaws and limitations, it’s still ‘the least worst’ system in the world.
[quote]Gregus wrote:
America has lost it’s nerve. That will never happen. We have a nice and docile population with alot of fears. [/quote]
This is it right here.
Men like the revolutionaries who threw off the ball and chain of England, that would rather die than quietly capitulate to tyranny are long dead.
Today people pretty much whine and lament the fact that DC just hasn’t “done enough”, even though they probably couldn’t actually articulate what that means. [quote]"There oughta be a law[/quote] is now the rallying cry. Government is instantly looked to for the answer to every problem and it getting worse by the minute.
[quote]Tiribulus wrote:
Men like the revolutionaries who threw off the ball and chain of England, that would rather die than quietly capitulate to tyranny are long dead.
[/quote]
What are you talking about? It is quite easy to brainwash “patriots” to go to war for any made up reason. It should be just as easy to convince people to do it for their own sake. It just takes the right person to say it at the right time.
[quote]LIFTICVSMAXIMVS wrote:
Tiribulus wrote:
Men like the revolutionaries who threw off the ball and chain of England, that would rather die than quietly capitulate to tyranny are long dead.
What are you talking about? It is quite easy to brainwash “patriots” to go to war for any made up reason. It should be just as easy to convince people to do it for their own sake. It just takes the right person to say it at the right time.
[quote]Tiribulus wrote:
LIFTICVSMAXIMVS wrote:
Tiribulus wrote:
Men like the revolutionaries who threw off the ball and chain of England, that would rather die than quietly capitulate to tyranny are long dead.
What are you talking about? It is quite easy to brainwash “patriots” to go to war for any made up reason. It should be just as easy to convince people to do it for their own sake. It just takes the right person to say it at the right time.
Ideas are all that matter.
These two are not in any way analogous.[/quote]
Don’t try to tell Mr. Webster he’s wrong. All that will do is cause him to go and create a whole fucking laundry list of new definitions with which to prove how wrong you are.
[quote]SinisterMinister wrote:
Headhunter wrote:
jsbrook wrote:
Good luck getting enough people to do that make a difference. Fear of civil penalties and criminal liability is a pretty strong deterrent for most. As a practical matter, it can’t really happen for the reasons Rainjack said.
We currently are half-slave, half-free. Deducting taxes, leaving individuals no say in money taken from them and quite probably w/o their consent, is the mark of slavery. We presently get to vote who our masters are.
What a sad fate for a great country.
So what’s your suggested alternative?
Is it not necessary for such a large and complex society to delegate a certain degree of authority to some decision-making figure(s), lest we be bogged down by too many decisions that must be made by the whole?
I certainly don’t consider ANY politician to be my master. He/she may spend my money in a manner I see unfit, so I am entitled to vote in their opposition and encourage others to do the same – or to find a new country to live in with a different set of governing laws to abide by. In my opinion, despite our system’s obvious flaws and limitations, it’s still ‘the least worst’ system in the world.
[/quote]
You get to decide if you’re going to pay taxes at all. You would receive a simple form ASKING you if you want a % of your income to be deducted for police, fire, military, and so forth. If you don’t pay, you’re society goes unpoliced and unprotected. If that’s what an individual wants, then that’s what they get.
Don’t want to give 700 billion to banksters? Don’t pay. Don’t want to fight a war in Iraq? Don’t pay.
[quote]Tiribulus wrote:
LIFTICVSMAXIMVS wrote:
Tiribulus wrote:
Men like the revolutionaries who threw off the ball and chain of England, that would rather die than quietly capitulate to tyranny are long dead.
What are you talking about? It is quite easy to brainwash “patriots” to go to war for any made up reason. It should be just as easy to convince people to do it for their own sake. It just takes the right person to say it at the right time.
Ideas are all that matter.
These two are not in any way analogous.[/quote]
Yes they are. The revolutionaries did not fight a war on their own. They had to convince others to support their ideas of freedom and liberty.
The majority of people do not rock the boat on their own. They rely on the ideas and leadership of the elite.
