Tax attacks

Submitted by James on Mon, 04/13/2009 - 8:29am

Don't you just love it when a multimillion dollar enterprise whose very existence depends on tax-deductible contributions goes on and on and on and on and on and on and on about the evils of taxation?

It’s not that we believe there should be no taxes. Government is a necessary institution for the preservation of our liberty. By its very nature, government is compulsory and will tax us. But the taxing power should be used only according to constitutional principles, to fund the limited, constitutional functions that private individuals and voluntary associations cannot do for themselves.

You'll see these two threads in everything the Show has to say: First, government is compulsory. And second, taxing power should be used according to a certain set of constitutional principles that only they understand. Government is not compulsory by its very nature. Government is a choice. We the People created it from less than nothing in order to bring a small semblance of order to the chaos of our own human behavior.

And as for constitutional principles? Go ahead and read all about it.

Some examples:

Preamble, section 8. Representation and taxation. The people of this State shall not be taxed or made subject to the payment of any impost or duty without the consent of themselves or their representatives in the General Assembly, freely given.

Preamble, section 15. Education. The people have a right to the privilege of education, and it is the duty of the State to guard and maintain that right.

Article IX, section 8. Higher education.The General Assembly shall maintain a public system of higher education, comprising The University of North Carolina and such other institutions of higher education as the General Assembly may deem wise. The General Assembly shall provide for the selection of trustees of The University of North Carolina and of the other institutions of higher education, in whom shall be vested all the privileges, rights, franchises, and endowments heretofore granted to or conferred upon the trustees of these institutions. The General Assembly may enact laws necessary and expedient for the maintenance and management of The University of North Carolina and the other public institutions of higher education.

Article IX, section 9.Benefits of public institutions of higher education. The General Assembly shall provide that the benefits of The University of North Carolina and other public institutions of higher education, as far as practicable, be extended to the people of the State free of expense.

Article XI, section 3. Charitable and correctional institutions and agencies. Such charitable, benevolent, penal, and correctional institutions and agencies as the needs of humanity and the public good may require shall be established and operated by the State under such organization and in such manner as the General Assembly may prescribe.

Article XI section 4. Welfare policy; board of public welfare. Beneficent provision for the poor, the unfortunate, and the orphan is one of the first duties of a civilized and a Christian state. Therefore the General Assembly shall provide for and define the duties of a board of public welfare.

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So, are Art Pope and the gang

Submitted by Betsy Muse on Mon, 04/13/2009 - 8:53am.

saying we need to pare down the Constitution....or do they say we shouldn't obey it? I'm just all confuzzled. Maybe they just want a bunch of unfunded mandates.



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Vote Democratic, the ass you save may be your own.

The Show says

Submitted by James on Mon, 04/13/2009 - 8:57am.

the majority in North Carolina needs to re-interpret the Constitution to go along with a philosophy of anti-government zealotry.

That said, I understand their frustration. There's more Christianity and religion in the NC Constitution than there is in most churches.

Do good. Be nice. Have fun.

Tea Baggin

Submitted by randallt on Tue, 04/14/2009 - 5:30pm.

I think the most disingenuous thing about the tea bag day, is that it is far right Republican show off escapade being painted as spontaneous and grass roots. It is not and everyone knows it.

Digby has the scoop, and as usual, the reasoning. Corporate grassroots.

Now, none of this means that the people who show up at the rallies don't actually believe in what they're rallying for. It's primarily a team sport for them, and this is the conservative team's play. But most of them probably don't realize (and wouldn't believe if you told them) that they are rallying on behalf of a major media conglomerate and other vastly wealthy interests to support rich people and corporations at the expense of people like themselves. Of course, that is the organizing principle of the Republican Party in general, but it is spectacularly arrogant at a time like this.

If the press were to do its job, it would inform the public of this instead of regurgitating professional beltway press releases and pretending that these tea bagger parties are even coherent much less representing a legitimate grassroots anti-tax movement.

Save the Rich has become the most comprehensive site for understanding the truth about this gimmick. Below are some highlights for all you gentle seekers of the truth.

• Corporate lobbyists and their consultants are organizing behind the scenes.
• Fox News is encouraging turnout, sponsoring, and covering "Tea Parties" across the country.
• Republican officials are driving turn out.
• Protesters have no idea what they're talking about. At Tea Parties that have taken place over the last few days, attendees are more concerned with Obama's birth certificate than high taxes or government spending. Fringe gun groups, secessionists, anti-immigration activists and neo-Nazis are out in force.

I too applaud the efforts of Americans everywhere, regardless of political affiliation, to make their voices known. Fox News however is not a news organization. It is a propaganda device, nothing more. It is the primary media mover here.

Freedom Watch is a right wing Republican corporate activist organization led by the notorious Dick Armey. There is nothing spontaneous or even remotely non-partisan here. That's the truth.

Cross-posted at my humble blog