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Joseph Sobran
And why shouldn't they? The sad fact is that the American
taxpayer is a remarkably passive creature. He merely grumbles
at conditions far more oppressive than the tyranny that drove his
ancestors to rebel against British rule in 1776.
One of the chief complaints of the American colonist was
that he was taxed without his consent. Yet by today's standards,
his taxes were amazingly low. Precise figures are hard to come
by, but in 1764, for example, the average American was taxed by
the Crown at the rate of sixpence per year. That is not a
misprint. Six pennies per year. One penny every two months.
Even adjusting for inflation, that is a pretty light tax burden.
Today's children pay more than that in sales taxes.
If the politicians had any respect for our rights, our property,
our liberty, even our dignity, they would impose taxes only
reluctantly, and they would acknowledge some just limit. They
would act as if the money they take and spend is *our* money,
to be used for the common good of all, and not for buying the
votes of special interests and government dependents. In short,
they would recognize that taxation is a *moral* issue, not a
mere political convenience to be exercisedarbitrarily and
irresponsibly.
Well, I have. I spent a whole week there once. Very dull. No war,
no international crisis, no crime, none of the things that give life
its savor for red-blooded people like us. Nobody even knew who
the president of the country was. The Swiss have never even
had a great president. Their national hero is still that guy with
the crossbow. Their national pastime is yodeling.
Not that the Swiss aren’t ready to defend themselves. The men
are required by law to serve in the militia and to keep firearms
in their homes. But when they say “defense,” they mean defense
— not empire, not New World Order, not “global leadership.”
Joseph Sobran
http://www.sobran.com/issuetexts/2003-12.htm