Is it time to stop paying Federal Taxes?

[Rocketman]

This article would never, ever have appeared on the front page of any newspaper in any state I've ever lived in. 

Jane, I understand your objections, but frankly this was far better than I'd have expected from the Monitor.  People who don't pay taxes never get a drop of positive ink, but this article did a fair job of laying out the anti-tax arguments and even provided some good links!

Lots of people will read this article and come away with at least a healthy skepticism about the federal income tax.  And as an added bonus, they'll read this 100% kick-ass, nail-on-the-head quote from one of our own:

Dave Ridley, an editor from Keene who moved to New Hampshire as part of the Free State Project, said he pays his taxes, though he finds it tough to stomach some of the federal programs his dollars support.

"Whatever else you can or cannot say about Ed Brown, he is not paying for torture," Ridley said. "He is not paying for shooting people in Iraq. He's not paying for the welfare state. And 60 percent of us are, painfully, paying for those things."

I stopped reading, looked up, and said "Yes!"  Dave captured precisely the source of the anger I felt when I filed this year.  I thought about how the money would be used to further the police state, to bribe my neighbors' children into becoming mercenaries in a War of Aggression, and to blow up more cities and kill thousands more Iraqis (or worse).  I paid my taxes this year under considerable duress -- it really felt wrong for me to continue funding this out-of-control government, and "greed" wasn't even part of the equation.  In fact, if I ever get the guts to refuse payment, I will cheerfully donate the money to local charities and/or to the anti-war movement.

[Pat K]

I think it was a sly hatchet job.

[tracysaboe]

Well since they seem to read this forum, and since they may not publish rebuttals, I'll post mine here:

Concord Monitor Prints Garbage

The flaws in Margot-Sanger Katz's article about Tax Resistors are so many that I do not know where to begin!

First of all, quoting Daniel Levitas' book, "The Terrorist Next Door: The Militia Movement and the Radical Right" suggests that those who oppose paying taxes are somehow dangerous people when they are rarely. This is a most egregious misrepresentation since most if not all tax protestors are mainstream citizens like anyone else. I don't see how the Brown's are not considered mainstream, since they have been living peacefully and minding their own business for years. She is after all a dentist!

In another statement she suggests that other than for political reasons, not wanting to pay taxes is for purely selfish reasons, with people hoping to 'pocket the money'. What is wrong with wanting to keep what you have earned? She does not ever touch on the 'greed' that is the government's always asking for more and more money.

In another place, the article states that the Southern Poverty Law Center monitors 'hate and extremist groups, including tax protesters'. I find this outrageous in that it again catgorizes people who do not want to pay as some sort of violent or hateful people. This is just pure propaganda for which the CM should be ashamed of itself.
What give SPLC the right to monitor and brand people for their choices? Who annointed them an arm of the IRS?

Finally, the reason the tax system has survived is because most people are subject to fear and intimidation and threat of confiscation by IRS agents and do not choose to stop paying.

The bottom line is, there is no 'extremist fanatasy' that the government robs us by force. People in the middle income bracket are just tired of supporting the welfare state and other things the government is doing while the very wealthy get a break.

The Concord Monitor as a newspaper will never be taken seriously if it continues to put out garbage articles such as Katzs'.

I for one think that's marvelous piece. You should submit that directly to the paper   As much as I agree that no publicity is bad publicity, I thought simular things when I read it.  It's good to set the record straight. No matter HOW small the wrong of the phaux-record is.

Karma to Jane. I know she gets lots of grief.

Tracy

[tracysaboe]

....especially if we never made it the first time. Maybe this time they could put in the protections to actually get men to the moon.

Do you actually believe in the "we never went to the moon" idea?

Yea

Russle, there's conspiracy theories. And then their's wacko. All that nonsense about lines and shadows being wrong. That's dumb. Light is going to bend differently in a lower gravety environment. We went to the moon. Sometimes I wish we hadn't. An acting studio would have been a whole lot cheeper and waisted a whole lot less taxdollars. And instead of working at NASA all those scientists could have actually been in the real world actually producing things. Market forces probably would have taken us to the moon with-in the decade on it's own and we'd probably have full fledged mining opporations up their by now if the government hadn't screwed up everything and monopolized it.  As it is now because of the government's interference, it's taken a good 40 years before private efforts have gotten involved in space travel again

Tracy

[Pat McCotter]

....especially if we never made it the first time. Maybe this time they could put in the protections to actually get men to the moon.

Do you actually believe in the "we never went to the moon" idea?

Yea

There is probably as much evidence that it happened as there is evidence that the Gov's story about 9/11 happened as they say it did.   

You too, huh? I guess I'd call myself an agnostic on the idea because I have never studied it very deeply. I have studied it a little, though, and find it to be interesting. And I certainly agree with the idea of questioning the establishment version of... everything!

Actually, no, not me. It's just my pointing out that folks will believe a lot, if it comes from the Gov. Why? Oh, maybe because of that silly symbol we wave on Memorial Day and the 4th of July.
What I say is: Believe nothing the Gov says, unless there is incontrovertible proof from sources you trust. (And I don't mean CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC, or the other major media.)

That's right! We should all be reading WWN! It's the only source I trust!

[Pat McCotter]

Here's what I mean! This is NEWS!

SAN FRANCISCO HIRES NUDE WOMEN TO PROTECT GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE
By Mark Miller

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Golden Gate Bridge is one of the most recognizable and economically vital spans in the nation. So it was not surprising when the U.S. Office of Homeland Security (OHS) discovered the bridge listed on a terrorist memo of potential targets.

However, working with the San Francisco Police Department, the OHS has devised a plan to keep the bridge safe.

"We've hired 25 young, beautiful women willing to remove all their clothing and station themselves at strategic points on and approaching the bridge," explained San Francisco Police Public Information Officer Bruce Onder.

"Hopefully, that will keep religious radicals from coming near the structure."

According to Dr. Henry Chilvers, Professor Emeritus of Religion and Morality at the University of Sprituality in Sacramento, "Many orthodox faiths demand that a woman cover herself completely, excluding the face and hands, from men except her husband. Most religious zealots who would harm our nation are youths who have not seen one naked woman, let alone many. The shock, shame or simple eye-popping spectacle is going to make them do a U-turn pretty quickly. Or else drive into the bay, which is just as good."

Operation Bust Attacks, as the project has been named, is scheduled to begin within the next two weeks. Are any problems anticipated?

"Oh, we imagine we'll get some complaints from the Religious Right and from parents of small children," responded Onder. "But it's the 'new normal' so they'll just have to cover some eyes and deal with it."

If Operation Bust Attacks is a success, arrangements will immediately be made to have naked women stationed at the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, the Alamo and Independence Hall.

Expressing the OHS sentiments in a remark that is sure to live alongside Sherman's "War is Hell" and MacArthur's "I shall return," Onder commented, "If the enemy wants to fight dirty, we'll give 'em dirty."

[Kat Kanning]

Here's what I mean! This is NEWS!

SAN FRANCISCO HIRES NUDE WOMEN TO PROTECT GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE

Good article.

[Russell Kanning]

That was a pretty good article. Much better than the yearly tax evasion one in the NYTimes.
I would use this article as a recruiting tool.

She  messed up my part a little. I stopped paying after 1998 because I thought the Income Tax didn't apply to me. I have the added incentive to not support an evil government.
I also was talking about the tax code and saying it is confusing .... not the truth in taxation explanations.

[CNHT]

I think it was a sly hatchet job.

In today's article they quoted one of the posts here, but I can't find it now. They do read this board.

I am right now very upset over the death of Lee Slocum...very upset.

http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060612/REPOSITORY/606120302

[CNHT]

I for one think that's marvelous piece. You should submit that directly to the paper   As much as I agree that no publicity is bad publicity, I thought simular things when I read it.  It's good to set the record straight. No matter HOW small the wrong of the phaux-record is.
Karma to Jane. I know she gets lots of grief.

Tracy

Thanks Tracy -- I usually get grief for agreeing with people....hmm.

Anyway, they quoted me today in the newest article as saying that many non-violent people don't pay taxes because they know what the gov't violence is up to and don't want to contribute to it, but I can't find where that was said.
I'm just tired of people who don't like the out of control taxation as being painted as extremists. After all, it's a bit extreme that government has the means by which to take ALL of your money and there would be nothing you could do about it. They are just so much bigger, there would be no recourse.

[Russell Kanning]

In today's article they quoted one of the posts here, but I can't find it now. They do read this board.

When she called me .... she mentioned this forum ...... and then she posted here as scoop.

[CNHT]

In today's article they quoted one of the posts here, but I can't find it now. They do read this board.

When she called me .... she mentioned this forum ...... and then she posted here as scoop.

The worst thing is using the SPLC as an authority as to who is a terrorist or hate group and who isn't.
They are a terrible group who tries to control people's thoughts using the racist card to the max.
They monitor, hound and brand people. She must think that's great.

Safe to say the IRS who  uses threat of force and confiscation is considered a hate group by most, even those who pay.
Indeed that is WHY they pay! They don't want to be subject to a late night knock on their door.

I challenge Katz to find ONE person who does not pay taxes that is a member of  a bona fide 'hate group'.

I'm sick of this guilt by association CRAP.

Anyway, no one much cares what a two-bit reporter like Katz writes, I'm more upset over the death of Lee Slocum right now.

[scoop]

Hi everyone,

This is Margot.

I just wanted to let you know that the Monitor really tries hard to publish letters both positive and negative. Don't hesitate so send them along if you have strong feelings about the stories. I know that the editor likes to keep letters short, but other than that requirement he tries to get most in. Here's a blog post on what he looks for: http://www.conmon.com/MT/archives/2006/02/question_no_5_w.html

Thanks again to the posters that spoke to me.

[BillyC]

That's right! We should all be reading WWN! It's the only source I trust!

Actually, I rather enjoyed the article "TIRED OF YOUR TATTOO? Get Rid Of It With A Hand Sander!".

I thought this one kinda says it all

DWARF DRACULA KNEE-HIGH ANKLE BITER TERRORIZING SEATTLE!
http://www.weeklyworldnews.com/features/suspects/61306

And people raz me for liking Alex Jones. 

[CNHT]

What frosts me is that the Monitor is still using the old Marxist 'defamation' tactic, so old and worn out...

Not gonna work...


I'd say that ankle-biting is a good description of what the media tries to do around here!