[geeks] Taxes

[Jonathan C. Patschke]

On Fri, 23 May 2008, Phil Stracchino wrote:

> These days, I'm not certain going without a standing military is
> wholly feasible.  The level of training and inventory required is too
> high to be entirely replaced by a part-time volunteer militia.

I think a lot of that depends on how insistent we are upon irritating
the rest of the planet.  When is the last time we had a direct military
strike on our country?  We don't even know when the last attempt was,
and the reason we're given is "national security".  Conveniently enough,
we don't even need military enemies anymore; the government can just
dangle the T-word and say we're at threat level tangerine/carrot and how
we need to be worried about the next "credible hint" from an
"unidentified source" about a "nonspecific target" of the next "probable
attack".

The US is involved in the middle east, like it or not, because people
here need some semblance of control over the oil supply over there
because our own environmental regulations have crippled our ability to
satisfy our need for petroleum locally.  At the same time, that military
presence over there has kept the price of oil low enough (by means of
ensuring that sales are still largely denominated in USD) so that we
don't have sufficient economic pressure to develop alternative sources
of energy and plastics.  This is a good example of the government taking
a short-term view of a long-term problem.  In the interim, this
government and its military continue to foster more ill-will among
people who already dislike us for reasons that become more justifiable
each day.

Imagine if, instead of one of the world's largest standing armies with
bases in every corner of the globe (the sun never sets on America's
military empire?), the US had locally-organized militias who received
standardized training (and group buying power for munitions) from the
Department of Defense.  Without being involved in everyone's business
outside our borders (making long-term enemies and allies solely for the
duration that we offer protection), we wouldn't have to pay the
admittedly meager salaries of however many enlisted soldiers we have.
We'd have people truly interested in protecting their -homes- and
-communities- and ready to organize in the event that an immediate need
for an active national defense developed.

> However, it COULD probably be replaced by that volunteer militia plus
> a highly trained core rapid-response force ... such as, say, the
> United States Marine Corps.

Exactly, but getting there will take a very severe change in our foreign
policy--that change centered around recognizing the sovereignty of other
nations to the degree that we would like ours to be respected.

> However desirable it is to return government to its Constitutional
> limits, though, it's not feasible to do so at a single step.

I fail to see how cramming the national government in to each and every
private sale of new goods limits its scope in any way whatsoever.
Indeed, that may be the last area of our lives in which the it -does
not- have involvement at this point in time.

> Something like the Fair Tax would be an excellent first step, not
> least because every time a citizen bought something, they would be
> reminded of how much of each dollar they just spent is consumed by the
> government.

No it wouldn't.  The Fair Tax explicitly demands that it be an
"internal" tax.  That is, it's not some amount "plus VAT", it's just
some amount, with that amount having the tax already figured in.  As
things are right now, every American merely need only look at his
paystub to see how much national government he is buying.

I keep hearing people say things to that extent.  "If only $foo would
happen, people would see just how wasteful/expensive/expansive/etc the
federal government is!"  Anyone in need of one more example or indicator
thereof is likely already too dim to see that next one.

To be perfectly clear: we are subject to a national government that is
evil, wrong and bad.  It uses evil means (theft, force) to do wrong
things badly.

-- 
Jonathan Patschke | "There is more to life than increasing its speed."
Elgin, TX         |                                   --Mahatma Gandhi
USA               |