Posted on 04/15/2014 8:27:50 PM PDT by dignitasnews
Chicago resident Nahshon Shelton was arrested over the weekend for allegedly pulling out a 22-caliber pistol gun and threatening a convenience store clerk and fellow customers in his anger over a 22-cent sin tax on the 2-liter Pepsi he was purchasing Saturday afternoon.
Chicago police reported that Shelton was adamant that his outburst was justified, as they quoted him as saying This is my neighborhood, Im tax exempt! Man, you know what, Ill keep it real. I had to put them in their place.
While I do not condone Sheltons action, I cannot help but empathize with his frustrations. The tax, effectively 12% of the purchase price of the soda, is both egregious and an attempt to control our behaviors. Social engineering schemes of this nature are becoming all too common and run counter to the cultural roots of our nations principles.
While even those of us who consider ourselves to be conservative begrudgingly acknowledge some level of taxation is necessary to fund and maintain a working government, taxation with the intent to curb or control behavior is an insidious violation of all that we hold dear. It also reveals the enormous philosophical gulf between the left and the right , not simply in the proper levels of taxation, but its purpose.
The increasing attitude of the left is to utilize taxation as a punitive weapon. In the case of the soda-tax, and other levies on sugary snacks, liberals see these measures as a means to protect us from ourselves. Their hope is that by increasing the cost of these delectable delights, consumers will be more likely to opt for healthier, albeit more expensive, alternatives.
While one can certainly argue that a bottle of guava juice is a better choice for our bodies than a Pepsi, coercion via increased government taxation is the absolute definition of tyranny. While many liberals scoff at this notion, arguing that the tax amounts to less than a quarter, they miss the entire point. For the government, at any level, to monetarily penalize us for choosing a legal products that we desire is a denial of our freedoms. It is an attempt to control our behaviors by manipulating the free market and making our choices more costly.
In their zeal to legislate further penalties and costs on our choices, they also expose the hypocrisy of their so-called commitment to lower income Americans. These sin-taxes, be they on soda, cigarettes, Twinkies, gas or plastic grocery bags, have a disproportionate impact on poor and working class communities. When someone stops at the local Gas N Gulp to purchase 10 gallons of gas, grab a pack of smokes, a soda and a few other tasty treats, they will end up paying an extra $5 or so in taxes. And if one needs a bag to carry it all in, theres another dime youre going to have to fork over.
Mr. Shelton went about his revolt in the absolute wrong manner, and will most likely pay the price for this, deservedly so. But the emotions which drove him to this action are not altogether different than those which motivated a group of Boston resident to dump a boatload of tea in the harbor, not so long ago.
Give us liberty or give us death. Even if that death is from diabetes.
I need to move to his neighborhood.
Yeah but the people bring this on themselves. You vote for Democrats you get effed in the butt. It’s a simple equation yet people keep practicing it every election cycle like crack addicts to crack.
“Alex, I’m going to go with ‘Maniac, Not Patriot’ for $400.00.”
I propose a $20 tax on anyone who claims they are "keeping it real".
I’m going with “maniac.” Waving a gun at Dante and Randal isn’t the way to protest the tax on pop (or junk food, etc). It accomplishes nothing positive, and plays right into the left’s meme of “gun owners are nuts.”
As for “sin taxes”...meh. It irritates me that the nanny state wants to tax pop, smokes, etc. as a tool of social intervention. But I also have the option of opting out of paying that tax by skipping on the junk food, smokes, etc.
I’m bothered far more by the taxes I *can’t* avoid, and are squandered by Beltway Boys of both parties who answer the question “how much should we give” with “more, more, more!”
/CCR reference.
When “Keeping It Real” goes wrong.
The sin tax is a perfect example of the liberal mindset. They punish to control behavior. They can’t make the poor wealthier, so they punish the rich. They can’t make the healthy produce cheaper, so they raise the price on junk food. They can’t make the dumb kids smarter, so they lower the requirements and standards for all students. It goes on and on in everything they do.
By the way, there should be no marginalizing or condoning the actions the man took. Pulling out a gun over a tax is WRONG. Had he been in any number of other big cities in red states, he may have been shot by other patrons.
Threatening a store clerk with a gun just because he charged tax. What a maroon. Nahshon Shelton does not sound like the sharpest tack in the box.
The politicians Nahshon, the politicians. Not the clerks. sheesh.
I thought guns were pretty much oulawed in Chicago. Oh they are? Outlaws don’t abide by laws though do they?
I will bet you anything Nashon voted Democrat and for those who believe in taxes on items like soda.
Nashon, try voting libertarian or such next election.
Let him move to NYC; everything there has a ‘sin tax’ on it. He’ll last 15secs before his head explodes. Mayor DeCommie will drive him nuts.
What a maroon.
He’s just what I expected him to be.
Check post 6. As thick as two short planks.
The dude needs a Soda Stream.
we had a revolution over a 3% tax on tea
on principal alone, there should never be any tax exceeding 3% on any food or beverage
and now that I think about it, I thought food was one of those things they weren’t ‘supposed’ to tax (yea, that ship sailed a long time ago)
Alex, Im going to go with Maniac, Not Patriot for $400.00.
Lol!
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