Posted on 03/16/2009 11:46:56 AM PDT by Signalman
President Barack Obama’s rapid race into socialism is creating an escalating tax revolt. With a never-ending stream of stimulus packages and new entitlement programs, the Americans who will be stuck with the bill are shouting a clear message: “Enough!”
Many organizations are calling for a Tax Day Tea Party (http://taxdayteaparty.com/) on April 15. To Democrats, “the rich” aren’t paying their “fair share,” but many of the top 20 percent of wage-owners who pay 83 percent of the income taxes are taking to the streets.
Yes, Obama is my president, and as Warren Buffett said, “We’re all in the same boat.” But if the boat’s captain is so busy enjoying his applauding throng to notice that he’s sending us full-speed into an iceberg, you’d better do more than just disagree.
Writing letters, complaining to your representatives, even tax-revolt protests may not be enough. When workers reject their contract, they strike. Maybe it’s time for Atlas to do more than shrug! Is it time for the top tax-paying Americans to strike?
John Galt, the fictional protagonist in Ayn Rand’s classic novel “Atlas Shrugged,” responded to the growing regulations and taxation in Rand’s fictional socialist America by convincing “the rich” to leave and let socialism fail. How would you respond if John Galt wrote this letter today?
My fellow taxpaying Americans,
I write you to warn you and to challenge you. We deserve this economic collapse. We’ve allowed our politicians to sacrifice justice to forced compassion, trade our freedom for government dependence and confiscate earned wealth to fund more entitlements.
For more than two centuries, the American Dream has demonstrated what excellence unleashed can do, but for decades, politicians have conducted a war on excellence. Personal responsibility has given way to entitlement. Instead of honoring excellence, we elect politicians to confiscate as much money as possible from wealth producers to fund entitlements for those who haven’t earned it.
Some of today’s bailout recipients are no better than burglars, but burglars don’t ask us to sanction their crime. As the government seizes your wealth through unfair taxation rates, liberal politicians want voluntary compliance from you, the tax-paying victims.
When America began, government cost the average citizen $20 in today’s money. That’s $20 a year! Taxes rose during wars, but for most of the history of America, spending never exceeded a few hundred dollars per citizen.
During and after World War II, government just kept expanding.
The cost of the recent stimulus packages alone is more than $18,000 per household. We are witnessing the climax of over 70 years of creeping socialism. America created a system that produced the wealth of the world, and we’re letting the destroyers dismantle it.
Citizens and companies now compete not to achieve but to receive the biggest bailouts. The responsible citizens pay, and the beggars collect. But money taken from the achievement of others won’t buy intelligence for the fool, admiration for the lazy or respect for the incompetent. The irresponsible takers are unwelcome hitchhikers.
We have always been a compassionate people, but compassionate Americans, not the government, should help their neighbors in need.
When those who fund our growing federal debt stop buying, who’ll pay the bill? Washington could confiscate all the taxable income of everyone making over $75,000 and it would barely produce $4 trillion.
Our unchecked entitlement system will eventually collapse; I challenge you to make that happen now! It’s time for Atlas to shrug — to calmly, consciously and deliberately go on strike for true fairness. Our collective response must be simple and non-violent: “No more! I will cease to achieve, invent, produce, hire, serve or invest until all Americans pay the same flat income-tax rate!”
Re-engage when America once again is a country that protects everyone’s rights — the right to property, the right for every person to rise as far as she’s able. We ask for no special rights — only freedom to take our own risks, to bear our own losses and to experience our own rewards.
For those of you who voted for this liberal takeover, take pause. Do you have so little confidence in yourself and your children’s ability that you can’t succeed without government subsidies?
It’s not too late to choose freedom over dependence, earned rewards over entitlement and personal responsibility over collective rights.
American automobile companies can emerge from bankruptcy with a smaller but more vibrant business model. Out of a bankrupt America can emerge a leaner government based on America’s founding principles. With shared equal responsibility and shared equal opportunity, a new optimism and entrepreneurial spirit will unleash an economic recovery like we have not seen in decades.
Risk striking for a new America worth believing in!
— John Galt
There is no letter. There is no strike. John Galt does not exist. How would you respond if he did?
Yep. Some words with which to familiarize yourself for the “Obama Economy”: Payments-in-kind. Barter. Cash Only.
Yes, he can, which is why this is so very dangerous. All he has to do is pretend that the wealth exists and print money sufficient to cover his redistribution of it. Inflation will inevitably result, for which he will have ready a public relations campaign that will utilize his media resources to point the blame at the Republicans. That isn't what he's going to do, it's what he is already doing.
EDIT: What would we do if should we do now that Ayn Rand's novel were real is our reality?
Those flies are hard to catch without killing them.
Some Summers I also went to Camp Literal, other Summers to Camp Metaphorical. It’s convenient (and some times humorous)
to be able to paddle from one to the other.
You mean it isn’t?
I better send back my “Who is John Galt?” license plate frame then...
Which leads to my tag line:
I know, but the strange thing is I’m involved with a startup materials company that produces Mg that is up to 20% stronger than Al 6061 T6, it can be extruded, while being about 33% lighter and has a lot of other great properties.
Now if we could just color it green.
In any case, early next year Obama's tax hikes will become fully effective, depressing any revived economic growth just as a tsunami of dollars floods the market. It will not be pretty.
You must use very tiny nets.
Better than those poor souls forced to go to Camp Zen. They had to build campfires by rubbing one stick together.
That’s somewhat funny in that we went between steel weldments and Mg castings for Clutch and Brake Pedal Brackets multiple times over ten years. Cost vs. weight. (I was always in favor of Mg - it makes a better fire).
Our Mg does not support combustion up to the liquidous state.
11% elongation.
Strength to weight ratio greater than Ti.
I even tried to go to Berkeley in the 60's but was sent to a great Eastern Technological Institution paralyzed around Science instead.
Love that bumper sticker!
I find that disappointing. ;-)
I swear -- by my life and my love of it -- that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.
As a former F/F I agree in that respect. It’s why we no longer have real Mag wheels. But soon we will, hopefully.
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