Democrats are considering a 1% tax on everyone that makes between $30k-150k a year to help pay for the ongoing and escalating war in Afghanistan.
"I have a great idea. Let's tax the middle class to fund a war that they don't want to be involved in."
"Sounds good to me."
Obviously, if you disagree, umm, too bad.
This is one of the things that has lead me to Voluntaryism. Even if this was a Democracy and the majority of the people believed in destroying other nations to take advantage of their location or resources, I would be against it. If I had a choice, I would not fund it. Now they are thinking about putting a gun to my head and taking another 1% for something that I don't want. Then they'll go out and kill people in the name of America (of which, I am a part).
Obviously, a better system would be to allow people that want to fund murder, let them but don't force me to fund murder.
The problem that our rulers would have with that is that at least 60% of Americans would opt out of funding wars and the other 40% wouldn't be able to make up the difference. The wars would end. If this was a Voluntary society, there would be no war in Iraq. Hell, if this was a Democracy, there would be no war in Iraq.
If the rulers decide to take more in taxes (and don't forget that taxes are going to be raised for health care too and for what ever else the rulers want to buy), I'll pay of course. Protection money. I'm not going to let them take away my house or throw me in jail. I'd rather pay the protection money than have the IRS try to ruin life for me and my family.
Luckily for us, we live pretty frugally and don't have any debt aside from a mortgage. After our next move, we're going to pay off our mortgage as quickly as possible. We want to get into the best position that we can.
The next few years are probably going to be eye opening for a lot of people. Our government is unsustainable but it's going to try hard to stay alive and it's going to have to destroy a lot of lives in the effort. Sacrifices will have to made on the alter to appease the corporate gods. Human sacrifices. People are going to die, probably lots of them. It's my goal to not have my family be numbered amongst them.
Some 20+ states are going to be raising unemployment taxes on businesses this year, some as high as 9 times more from last year. When those taxes hit businesses, more people are going to lose their jobs. I don't think people understand the government's magic money tree. Unemployment benefits are great. It's so nice that the government just hands out this free money. How wonderful. How kind. Since the states lowered unemployment taxes during the good years, there wasn't enough to deal with the bad years and that money has to be made up somehow, while still in the bad years. Obviously raising taxes on businesses is just going to mean more lost jobs. That will raise the need for unemployment funds and, well, I'm sure you have it figured out.
I'm sure that you have also heard about the University of California raising tuition rates by 32% because they don't have funding anymore. Good gawd! People will either be blocked out of the system or have to incur that much more debt trying to get some kind of education. We have a Prussian school system whose educational focus (the main focus, of course, is to teach blind obedience - or else, again, there would be no wars) is to prepare students for college, which they won't be able to afford, even if the failing system somehow manages to get them to pass the SAT.
Speaking of debt, here's a good question. If the Federal Reserve is the only entity allowed to create money and all the money that it creates is lent out and then has to be repaid with interest, where does the interest come from? If they only give out the principal and they are the only ones that can create money, where does the interest come from?
If more people understood how the Fed worked, they would absolutely freak. We are tax slaves and we can never, ever be free because there is no way to ever pay off the interest. It will just keep building. Inflation will continue to rise. Debt will continue to rise. Taxes will continue to rise.
Until it all gets to the breaking point.
Do you think we have enough troops to continue the illegal occupation of Iraq, surge in Afghanistan, start a war with Iran, and suppress all insurrections at home? Seems like something is going to have to break.
Back to my question. And if I disagree with the wars and their funding?
For now, all I can do is bide my time, protect my family, and continue to point out what's happening. Government only exists with the consent of the governed. When enough people stop believing in the most pervasive religion in America, we can move on to real answers, and peace.
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