Put up or shut up
Time to put up or shut up. In my last commentary, I ragged on Americans mercilessly, calling us gutless blowhards and slaves because we are afraid to confront our own government. I don't think any honest citizen could dispute the truth of what I said, but I don't like to criticize without some sort of solution.
Nothing I'll suggest will be very easy or safe. Our governments at various levels, are powerful and ruthless. Keep reminding yourself that they are supposed to be protecting our individual rights, but in fact are doing quite the opposite. They are supposed to be our servants, but in fact we are slaves to them, and government is very good at protecting itself, as all large systems are.
Let me add some perspective to the issue. The federal budget is about 2.7 trillion dollars, which is $85,616 per SECOND. There are about 150 million working adults in the U.S. That means that the federal government is costing each working adult $18,000 each year. I know... you're protesting that you don't pay that much in taxes. Most of the taxes are hidden from view. The price of every product we buy has numerous embedded taxes that force those prices up. We are paying that much, and that's just the FEDERAL government. If you add in state and local governments, it's in the neighborhood of twice that much.
Can you even begin to imagine what our world might be like without those taxes?
My point is... it's a problem that is certainly worthy of our time and effort. Even if you live luxuriously on the leftovers, those numbers should still be enough to make you angry... especially since most of that money is WASTED. It costs a bundle just to COLLECT taxes. Hundreds of thousands of government employees, making good salaries, creating thousands of tons of paperwork, yada, yada.
I know lots of people who will drive to distant stores to save a dime, or will hassle a car dealer to save a hundred bucks, or dicker with everyone to save a little money... all the while just forking over half of everything they earn... in taxes. Most of us don't get anything we want in return for all that money, but even worse, our taxes are being spent on stuff we abhor, like the stupid war in Iraq.
What can we do to stop it... or even slow it down?
STOP THE FUNDING
There are hundreds of ways to reduce your taxes, some perfectly legal, some not so legal, and others very illegal. There are plenty of books and websites covering that whole area, and it all depends on your own personal situation. I've met a lot of people who just don't file a return. If you have a job with paycheck tax withholding, that probably isn't going to work, but there are still a great many ways to reduce taxes. Doing your own taxes can be a very creative endeavor. Taxes are so complex that you don't know what you might find. During one year of self-employment, I paid in no taxes during the year, and then got a "refund", thanks to the earned income credit. That wasn't the government's intent, but there it was, legal as hell. I maximized my refund by reducing my deductions to raise my taxable income to the top of the earned income limit.
Seek out ways to trade with others individually, on a cash basis, or actually trading services with no money exchanging hands.
Just to encourage you... the IRS audits less than 1% of the returns. A study in 2001 estimated that taxpayers failed to pay $290 billion they "owed", so you will have lots of company.
ATTITUDE
I'm inclined to think this is the most promising way to reduce the impact of government on our lives. We need to actually think of government as our enemy, because that is precisely what it has become. It's the big ugly dog that roams our block, making us nervous and crapping in our yard. Many of us have deluded ourselves into thinking of the dog as protecting us from other dogs, so we fearfully choose to placate the big dog with treats. That doesn't work with big bad dogs, and it doesn't work with government. In both cases, we end up as willing slaves to the dog.
We need to remind ourselves constantly that government is there to provide services for us, not the reverse. When you find yourself forced to face off with government... getting licenses, dealing with the cops, attending city meetings, etc., break out your best pain-in-the-ass mode and deal with them as the public servants they're supposed to be. All too often, we are so anxious to be done with those people that we encourage them to overlord.
Our attitude toward government employees, of any kind, at any level, should be... you're not my personal enemy, but you're working for the enemy, and you deserve no respect from me. If you want to be treated as my equal, go get a job working somewhere that gives me a choice of whether or not I deal with you. When you're being forced into what is usually a miserable situation, do your part to make sure that it's miserable for the government employees too. Maybe that will encourage them to go get a real job instead... one in which they can face the public in a mutually-voluntary position.
Remember who is supposed to be in charge.
STOP FALLING FOR THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS SCAM
The people who really drive me nuts are the ones who complain about government and then turn around and vote for or send money to one of the two old parties. The ONLY way you can maintain the attitude that one is "better" or "not as bad" as the other is by listening to and buying into propaganda from one party or the other. It really is like choosing between Hitler and Stalin and somehow convincing yourself that you've made a rational choice.
LEND YOUR SUPPORT
There are a great many organizations trying their damndest to restrict the growth and destructiveness of government. These are groups that survive and succeed on voluntary contributions from people who CARE. If you care, and you damned sure should, send your money and/or volunteer your time. One day soon, I'll post another list of some of those organizations. In the meantime, check out the list I posted in November of 2004.
Nothing I'll suggest will be very easy or safe. Our governments at various levels, are powerful and ruthless. Keep reminding yourself that they are supposed to be protecting our individual rights, but in fact are doing quite the opposite. They are supposed to be our servants, but in fact we are slaves to them, and government is very good at protecting itself, as all large systems are.
Let me add some perspective to the issue. The federal budget is about 2.7 trillion dollars, which is $85,616 per SECOND. There are about 150 million working adults in the U.S. That means that the federal government is costing each working adult $18,000 each year. I know... you're protesting that you don't pay that much in taxes. Most of the taxes are hidden from view. The price of every product we buy has numerous embedded taxes that force those prices up. We are paying that much, and that's just the FEDERAL government. If you add in state and local governments, it's in the neighborhood of twice that much.
Can you even begin to imagine what our world might be like without those taxes?
My point is... it's a problem that is certainly worthy of our time and effort. Even if you live luxuriously on the leftovers, those numbers should still be enough to make you angry... especially since most of that money is WASTED. It costs a bundle just to COLLECT taxes. Hundreds of thousands of government employees, making good salaries, creating thousands of tons of paperwork, yada, yada.
I know lots of people who will drive to distant stores to save a dime, or will hassle a car dealer to save a hundred bucks, or dicker with everyone to save a little money... all the while just forking over half of everything they earn... in taxes. Most of us don't get anything we want in return for all that money, but even worse, our taxes are being spent on stuff we abhor, like the stupid war in Iraq.
What can we do to stop it... or even slow it down?
STOP THE FUNDING
There are hundreds of ways to reduce your taxes, some perfectly legal, some not so legal, and others very illegal. There are plenty of books and websites covering that whole area, and it all depends on your own personal situation. I've met a lot of people who just don't file a return. If you have a job with paycheck tax withholding, that probably isn't going to work, but there are still a great many ways to reduce taxes. Doing your own taxes can be a very creative endeavor. Taxes are so complex that you don't know what you might find. During one year of self-employment, I paid in no taxes during the year, and then got a "refund", thanks to the earned income credit. That wasn't the government's intent, but there it was, legal as hell. I maximized my refund by reducing my deductions to raise my taxable income to the top of the earned income limit.
Seek out ways to trade with others individually, on a cash basis, or actually trading services with no money exchanging hands.
Just to encourage you... the IRS audits less than 1% of the returns. A study in 2001 estimated that taxpayers failed to pay $290 billion they "owed", so you will have lots of company.
ATTITUDE
I'm inclined to think this is the most promising way to reduce the impact of government on our lives. We need to actually think of government as our enemy, because that is precisely what it has become. It's the big ugly dog that roams our block, making us nervous and crapping in our yard. Many of us have deluded ourselves into thinking of the dog as protecting us from other dogs, so we fearfully choose to placate the big dog with treats. That doesn't work with big bad dogs, and it doesn't work with government. In both cases, we end up as willing slaves to the dog.
We need to remind ourselves constantly that government is there to provide services for us, not the reverse. When you find yourself forced to face off with government... getting licenses, dealing with the cops, attending city meetings, etc., break out your best pain-in-the-ass mode and deal with them as the public servants they're supposed to be. All too often, we are so anxious to be done with those people that we encourage them to overlord.
Our attitude toward government employees, of any kind, at any level, should be... you're not my personal enemy, but you're working for the enemy, and you deserve no respect from me. If you want to be treated as my equal, go get a job working somewhere that gives me a choice of whether or not I deal with you. When you're being forced into what is usually a miserable situation, do your part to make sure that it's miserable for the government employees too. Maybe that will encourage them to go get a real job instead... one in which they can face the public in a mutually-voluntary position.
Remember who is supposed to be in charge.
STOP FALLING FOR THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS SCAM
The people who really drive me nuts are the ones who complain about government and then turn around and vote for or send money to one of the two old parties. The ONLY way you can maintain the attitude that one is "better" or "not as bad" as the other is by listening to and buying into propaganda from one party or the other. It really is like choosing between Hitler and Stalin and somehow convincing yourself that you've made a rational choice.
LEND YOUR SUPPORT
There are a great many organizations trying their damndest to restrict the growth and destructiveness of government. These are groups that survive and succeed on voluntary contributions from people who CARE. If you care, and you damned sure should, send your money and/or volunteer your time. One day soon, I'll post another list of some of those organizations. In the meantime, check out the list I posted in November of 2004.
posted by Robert Ronald Smith at 12:01 AM
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