Posted on 03/23/2010 4:39:59 PM PDT by Federation 2005
Much has been made over the recent developments in the United States and the growing dysfunctionality of its "representative" body, its looming insolvency and the progressive loss of credibility of its governing institutions.
Though cast in the language of "Us versus Them", each side pointing the fingers at one another; this isn't about partisanship. The issue runs far deeper than the latest topic of the day, whether it be health care, the bank failures, the Republicans' spending splurge c. 2004-2008 or the Democrats' splurge c. 2006-now.
Like most other nations on Earth, the United States has gone deeper into debt; having done so (according to the Bureau of Public Debt) every single year since the Eisenhower Administration. This has taken place over the course of all combinations of administrations of its two parties and ideological polarities; Republican & Democratic. It has taken place in the midst of revolutions on both sides of the conservi-liberal spectrum, be it the 1960's era Johnson war on poverty, the 1980's "Morning in America" polyannish nonsense. The Public Debt has gone up 10-fold, almost like clockwork, nearly every 20 years since the early 1900's.
During that time, particularly in the last few years and decades, we have seen the rise of registries throughout the land for scarlet-letter "deviants", the ballooning of a small "pay as you go" (and voluntary) contribution to social security into a regressive 15% tax, the rise of de-facto citizenship ID's, the imprisonment of a larger portion of the adult population (mostly on non-violent offenses) than in any other major develped country by far, the rise into prominence citizen registries (e.g. the credit bureau) run by unelected authorities and other unelected bodies holding substantial power, the recent legalization of broadcasting of advertising by what are little more than legalized drug dealers (commercials for prescription medications that are forbidden in nearly every other developed nation), the erection of de facto prison walls around the borders, the erosion of privacy rights, the implementation of legalized torture, courts that have lost their credibility selling away the public airwaves to the large collectives (be they unions or corporations), the threat of citizen registries for those merely accused of being "deviants" (as nearly happened recently in Ohio), and so on.
Now, the latest in the long litany of indignities includes a measure that will impose a Life Tax on the population of the United States. Unlike other taxes, this is not a tax levied against you based on how much you have or make. Rather, it is a tax imposed on you simply for being alive. Like the rent a sharecropper pays for being allowed to farm his or her land, or the cost a serf pays simply for staying on a manor in the Middle Ages, the United States is now ordering you to pay a fee simply for existing.
Whether it is paid to the plutarchy that the corporate elite have become in this country, or paid as a fine to what would otherwise be a socialist oligarchy is irrelevant. It means the same thing in both cases, and it IS the same thing.
No legitimate government anywhere on this earth has the right to impose a Life Tax on its people. You may take this as the acid test for and definition of legitimacy, itself.
A government with a Life Tax is a government that has given up its right to exist.
References:
1. The Public Debt, 1789-now, The Bureau of Public Debt
The Public Debt has gone up each year since 1959, including during the time of the so-called "surplus" near the turn of the century.
2. "On Being the Right Size", J.B.S. Haldane, The World of Mathematics, Volume 2, 952-957
Discusses the break-down of scale-symmetry in animals, societies and political institutions.
3. The Third Wave (aka Future Shock II; 1979, Toffler)
(The chapters "The Political Mausoleum" and "21st Century Democracy" are early presages of this article)
4. Revolutionary Wealth (aka Future Shock IV; 2006, Toffler)
Links and Notes:
1. Revoke Congressional Budgetary Powers.
talk.politics.misc, 2008 November 4
Introduces the concept of Popular Mandate Democracy
2. The US as a 0 Party State: Revoking public recognition of all political parties
talk.politics.misc, 2008 November 3
3. The Parables of the Torn Fabric and the Two Ropes,
talk.politics.misc, 2009 April 24
4. World War III,
sci.econ, 1995 April 19; 2010 March 22
The budgetary collapse as an after-effect of World War III (aka the Cold War).
Let me know if you have a “ Basha’s” grocery there.
I think I am. And it's not a good one. I have to quit reading the news.
You’re kidding, right? We ain’t spendy enough here. The ones who have the money don’t stay long!!!
BUT! When I visit my brother, we shop at Basha’s!
Yoiks!
We have sun and no wind here today, but it’s still only in the low 60’s. This time next week, I may be able to sit out in 80 degree weather with no leg warmers!
Sunny and cool here. Frankfurt will be colder.
It always is, this time of year.
It sounds like the cashier had an attack of Dumbth.
80s here, got all the windows open.
She couldn’t have been too smart. And I wasn’t about to let her charge me for something I’ve had for six months. Even a dollar is too much for me to let go to someone who is in too much of hurry to LOOK at things.
Waiting.....
Welcome.
:-)
Aerobraking complete, we’re in standard thread orbit.
Aren’t we all.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4ToUMygAO8
Okay.. I listened to that song, and saw in my minds eye a bunch of spiderbots doing various things.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf5DY4ylufE
Bet you can’t guess which book this song was used to write to.
I’ve been thinking that a medium scale spiderbot would be a cool thing to have in your garage.
I don’t think you could get permission to go on the roads with it, but you could tinker around in the garden.
I’m modifying the control system, too.
I can just imagine someone opening the garage and having the thing turn and make warding gestures and noise at them.
Good guess, Darks.
Happy spring.
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