Posted by
Moonkeeper on Monday, June 25, 2007 10:48:05 PM
From the time we are little, we are taught that we are free. We're taught that America stands for freedom, liberty, etc.... As one grows older, one should question whether they truly are free. Don't get me wrong, America is among the most free countries in the world. I'm not questioning whether we have more liberty then North Korea, Iraq, Iran, or for that matter, even most of Western Europe and Canada. Of course we do, but does that mean we're free or just comparitively free? Lets look at the income tax.
The average American loses between 30 and 40 percent of the money they make to taxes. This does not include the taxes that are placed on the companies that own the products that we buy, which are ultimately included in the costs of the product. This is simply what we lose off the top, before we attempted to live our lives. Would this qualify as freedom? When one is not allowed to keep 1/3 of what they exchanged their labor for, is that freedom? The colonists rebelled against an effective tax rate of 4%. That is not a typo. The colonists rebelled because they were upset that the taxes England imposed on them came to an effective rate of 4%. Yes, 4%!!!!!!
Are you a taxpayer? Do you have debt? If you're feeling bored (or need a cure for insomnia) add up the amount of taxes you have paid in the last 5 years. I'm not talking about whether you got a refund or not. All April 15th does is balance out whether you over or underpaid the IRS. I mean, add up the total amount of tax you actually had withheld from your paycheck (you can even add back your refund). You can find this on your W-2 that you're given at the end of the year. Now, for the fun part, compare this to the amount of debt you have. How much debt would you have if you were allowed to keep all wages you earned? How much more would you be able to afford? How much less would you or your household actually have to work? Is your government worth it?
In a free society a person that goes about their daily life, and exchanges their work for compensation, and then keeps the entire compansation, is not a criminal. They are a free person excercising their natural right to exchange with other individuals. In order for an individual to no longer be free, they must be forced by direct threat or through physical coercion to change how they go about their daily life. Taking all of this into account, if a person in the US exchanges their labor for $100, are they free to keep it, or must they go out of their way to report it to the government, then give them 1/3 of it? Is this freedom?