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"Taxation without representation" is a good working definition of tyranny. It is one Jefferson and the other signers of the Declaration of Independence took seriously in 1776. And it is one we in 2006 must also measure our current political situation against.
In recent years it has become more and more clear that our "democracy" does not work the way it purportedly does. The values of most citizens are not reflected in the policies enacted by their representatives – but corporate values are. The outcomes of our elections are arbitrarily adjudicated, predetermined by gerrymandering, and entrusted to virtually defenseless electronic systems with the flimsiest of oversight. The values of "liberty and justice for all" embodied in our Constitution, and our foundational respect for the rule of law are flouted by our President – and Congress then "legalizes" his crimes of torture and surveillance retroactively. Free and responsible disclosure of government actions is hindered in every way – while the government covertly plants propaganda in the news media. When citizens petition for full investigation of the acts of terror that impelled us into wars of aggression, the government stonewalls any independent inquiry and feeds us an endless pablum of conflicting and impossible "explanations."
Because of these and other blatant and insidious abuses of power, coupled with a manifest failure to respect or enact the will of the people, there is apparently no longer any viable political means for restraining or reversing these tyrannous encroachments on our fundamental rights and liberties. Therefore, we must begin to exercise one of the powers reserved to us under the Ninth Amendment and refuse to support the current oligarchic federal regime with our tax dollars. To this end, payment of all non-entitlement tax money should be withheld until all the following changes take place:
• Recountable paper ballots with instant runoff voting in all States
• Grand jury investigation of 9/11 -- with full subpoena powers and rights of referral to prosecutors for indictment
• Withdrawal of troops and bases from Afghanistan and Iraq
• Reversal of the Patriot Act, War Powers Act, and Military Commissions Act
• Withdraw from the WTO, GATT and all "free trade" treaties that compromise national sovereignty (eg. NAFTA, CAFTA…)
• Impeachment of Bush, Cheney et.al, followed by their prosecution in the World Court for war crimes
• Diversion of military budget into debt reduction, alternative energy and social service sectors
• Convening of a truly representative constitutional convention to consider the following (and other appropriate) amendments introduced by citizens:
In addition to being willing and able to support by local interventions those whose entitlements are diminished or eliminated by government reprisals, a viable tax withholding movement must also analyze and anticipate the general economic effects of gradual governmental collapse. For instance, should the government default on all or part of its enormous foreign debt, the fiat currency of the day will become next to worthless, and will therefore need to be supplanted by locally issued notes of credit that can be used to keep local commerce and industry functioning.
All in all, tax withholding will not be an effective response to our political dilemma unless it exhibits two key features:
1. It must be a truly massive and confident popular movement
In order to be a self-confident movement, the political reasons for tax withholding must be firmly rooted in widespread ethical and religious values. For instance, both the ethics of solidarity and of accountability condemn governmental malfeasance and should be used to motivate people to act. Also, the tyrannous power of greed is condemned not only through the voice of the Jewish prophets, "Ah, [woe to] you who join house to house, who add field to field, until there is room for no one but you…[for]… I will put an end to the pride of the arrogant, and lay low the insolence of tyrants." [Is 5:8] [Is 13:11], but also by Christianity "You can not serve God and wealth …[therefore] …do not be conformed to this world …[or] …the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people that produces fruits of the kingdom." [Mt 6:24] [Ro 12:2] [Mt 21:43].
Building a critical mass of people willing to withhold (or delay payment of) taxes should probably be initiated by public discussion of the reasons for action and the options for withholding that are ready to hand, coupled with an on-line survey question taking the form "I am willing to withhold (or delay payment of) x% of my federal taxes if and when y% of taxpayers are ready to do the same." Standard techniques for confirmation of email addresses could be used to verify the legitimacy of the data collected on-line and prevent duplications. As results of this survey accumulate and the tallies are posted, it would soon become obvious to all what the critical mass is, and when each threshold figure is actually reached.
2. It must be dynamically coordinated through a network of leaders
Coordination is possible without a command structure, given an open flow of information and general agreement on a strategy of graduated response to governmental resistance and reprisals. Thus, if the first retaliation for a slackening of tax revenues is curtailment of entitlement funding, a graduated response would entail increasing the percentage of tax withheld (or delayed) to match the enlarged proportion in the budget of illegitimate expenditures – that is, those known to be contrary to the express will of the People, such as paying for wars of imperial domination.
Given the known proclivity of corporate regimes for assassinating charismatic popular leaders – JFK and MLK for example – organizing for tax withholding and mutual support should always be done at the local level only. Many tax escrow funds will be less vulnerable than one; many local organizations will be more difficult to derail than one national group. Since most, if not all local groups will be infiltrated with covert operatives, serious members must resolve to keep their focus on the real goals of the movement, and to act in such a way that over time the hearts and minds of even the ‘agents provocateurs’ are in danger of being won over.
The immediate goals of tax withholding have already been enumerated: the ultimate goal is restoration of a constitutionally based rule of law in the United States of America. Only when this is done will the principles of justice, freedom and peace flourish here at home and empower us to participate in an emerging global community based on cooperation and sustainability.
In recent years it has become more and more clear that our "democracy" does not work the way it purportedly does. The values of most citizens are not reflected in the policies enacted by their representatives – but corporate values are. The outcomes of our elections are arbitrarily adjudicated, predetermined by gerrymandering, and entrusted to virtually defenseless electronic systems with the flimsiest of oversight. The values of "liberty and justice for all" embodied in our Constitution, and our foundational respect for the rule of law are flouted by our President – and Congress then "legalizes" his crimes of torture and surveillance retroactively. Free and responsible disclosure of government actions is hindered in every way – while the government covertly plants propaganda in the news media. When citizens petition for full investigation of the acts of terror that impelled us into wars of aggression, the government stonewalls any independent inquiry and feeds us an endless pablum of conflicting and impossible "explanations."
Because of these and other blatant and insidious abuses of power, coupled with a manifest failure to respect or enact the will of the people, there is apparently no longer any viable political means for restraining or reversing these tyrannous encroachments on our fundamental rights and liberties. Therefore, we must begin to exercise one of the powers reserved to us under the Ninth Amendment and refuse to support the current oligarchic federal regime with our tax dollars. To this end, payment of all non-entitlement tax money should be withheld until all the following changes take place:
• Recountable paper ballots with instant runoff voting in all States
• Grand jury investigation of 9/11 -- with full subpoena powers and rights of referral to prosecutors for indictment
• Withdrawal of troops and bases from Afghanistan and Iraq
• Reversal of the Patriot Act, War Powers Act, and Military Commissions Act
• Withdraw from the WTO, GATT and all "free trade" treaties that compromise national sovereignty (eg. NAFTA, CAFTA…)
• Impeachment of Bush, Cheney et.al, followed by their prosecution in the World Court for war crimes
• Diversion of military budget into debt reduction, alternative energy and social service sectors
• Convening of a truly representative constitutional convention to consider the following (and other appropriate) amendments introduced by citizens:
-
* No corporate personhood – limited State charters only (typically 99 years)
* No gerrymandering – non-political district boundaries (eg. watersheds)
* No electronic voting – paper ballots with instant runoff voting, counted by hand
* No privatization or delegation of public powers and functions -- powers of war and of coining of money are inalienable
* No purely speculative markets – all holdings are investments for a year or more
* No membership in secret societies – the oath of office requires forswearing all conflicting allegiances
* No clandestine operations – all foreign policy to be managed through diplomatic channels subject to full disclosure and review
In addition to being willing and able to support by local interventions those whose entitlements are diminished or eliminated by government reprisals, a viable tax withholding movement must also analyze and anticipate the general economic effects of gradual governmental collapse. For instance, should the government default on all or part of its enormous foreign debt, the fiat currency of the day will become next to worthless, and will therefore need to be supplanted by locally issued notes of credit that can be used to keep local commerce and industry functioning.
All in all, tax withholding will not be an effective response to our political dilemma unless it exhibits two key features:
1. It must be a truly massive and confident popular movement
In order to be a self-confident movement, the political reasons for tax withholding must be firmly rooted in widespread ethical and religious values. For instance, both the ethics of solidarity and of accountability condemn governmental malfeasance and should be used to motivate people to act. Also, the tyrannous power of greed is condemned not only through the voice of the Jewish prophets, "Ah, [woe to] you who join house to house, who add field to field, until there is room for no one but you…[for]… I will put an end to the pride of the arrogant, and lay low the insolence of tyrants." [Is 5:8] [Is 13:11], but also by Christianity "You can not serve God and wealth …[therefore] …do not be conformed to this world …[or] …the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people that produces fruits of the kingdom." [Mt 6:24] [Ro 12:2] [Mt 21:43].
Building a critical mass of people willing to withhold (or delay payment of) taxes should probably be initiated by public discussion of the reasons for action and the options for withholding that are ready to hand, coupled with an on-line survey question taking the form "I am willing to withhold (or delay payment of) x% of my federal taxes if and when y% of taxpayers are ready to do the same." Standard techniques for confirmation of email addresses could be used to verify the legitimacy of the data collected on-line and prevent duplications. As results of this survey accumulate and the tallies are posted, it would soon become obvious to all what the critical mass is, and when each threshold figure is actually reached.
2. It must be dynamically coordinated through a network of leaders
Coordination is possible without a command structure, given an open flow of information and general agreement on a strategy of graduated response to governmental resistance and reprisals. Thus, if the first retaliation for a slackening of tax revenues is curtailment of entitlement funding, a graduated response would entail increasing the percentage of tax withheld (or delayed) to match the enlarged proportion in the budget of illegitimate expenditures – that is, those known to be contrary to the express will of the People, such as paying for wars of imperial domination.
Given the known proclivity of corporate regimes for assassinating charismatic popular leaders – JFK and MLK for example – organizing for tax withholding and mutual support should always be done at the local level only. Many tax escrow funds will be less vulnerable than one; many local organizations will be more difficult to derail than one national group. Since most, if not all local groups will be infiltrated with covert operatives, serious members must resolve to keep their focus on the real goals of the movement, and to act in such a way that over time the hearts and minds of even the ‘agents provocateurs’ are in danger of being won over.
The immediate goals of tax withholding have already been enumerated: the ultimate goal is restoration of a constitutionally based rule of law in the United States of America. Only when this is done will the principles of justice, freedom and peace flourish here at home and empower us to participate in an emerging global community based on cooperation and sustainability.