Taxes And Rights In The USA

In the comment section, Jim and I were discussing taxes. He mentioned the large tax placed on cigarettes and pointed out that even though our government taxes the ever lovin’ shit out of them, this same government turns around and outlaws the use of them.

Tip of the iceberg, I thought to myself. And that’s how this story came about.

Taxes aren’t fair. Does that surprise anyone? If the government needs more money, they raise the taxes. They claim that we vote for it. But when we vote against it, they impose it.

Legal fines are a tax too. If you are charged with a speeding ticket, or a drunk in public, or any other legal offense that carries a fine, you are paying a tax that funds a branch of our government. For those of you that do not yet know this (every attorney, judge, and member of law enforcement community does), laws really are made to be broken.

It’s how the Judicial branch of government supports itself. If people aren’t breaking enough laws to support them with fines, they make more laws. And if that doesn’t work, they make laws that are almost impossible to adhere to, until they feel that they are taking in enough revenue. But it really is just a tax increase.

It’s too bad that you and I and everyone else gets buffaloed into what amounts to a tax, and we pay twice because of the resulting criminal record! But most criminals in our country are not criminals at all. They were simply pawns in a tax revenue-generating scheme run by our own government.

Of The People, By The People, And For The People, my ass.

The government is clearly 'of the government, by the government, and for the government'.

We The People are getting screwed.

Let’s check our government record as it applies to upholding our Bill Of Rights, the very document that this country of ours was founded on, and the reason we pay those taxes to begin with, to keep them in place.

I rate them as pass or fail by their own actions on each right

I’ll warn you though, it’s not good.

Bill of Rights

Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

I could go on for days on this one (the whole first day would be needed just for censorship), but let me simply point out the well known law about having the Ten Commandments in a courthouse. Read that up there again, it’s pretty plain. They shall make no law respecting or prohibiting religion. I’m going to give them a failing grade here. Fail 0-1

Amendment II
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

Tell that to David Koresh or Jeffrey Skilling. I didn’t support them, but they were within their rights. Fail 0-2

Amendment III
No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

I’ll give them this one. Pass 1-2

Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Two words; Eminent Domain. Fail 1-3

Amendment V
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

This one is easy. OJ.
I didn’t support him (still don’t), but remember; he was found innocent at the first trial and guilty at the second. Double jeopardy, plain and simple. Fail 1-4

Amendment VI
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.

Speedy? Our court system? Fail 1-5

Amendment VII
In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Okay, for what it’s worth, they kept this. So twelve people who weren’t smart enough to get out of jury duty decide your fate. The intelligent ones got out on day one. That’s reassuring. Nevertheless, Pass 2-5

Amendment VIII
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

This one failed from the get-go. Anyone ever hear the words, “Innocent until proven guilty”?
Okay, what is bail? They tell you that It insures you show up for the trial, right?

Wrong.
Bail is used to get the accused person out of jail. But the trial is where they attempt to prove that person to be guilty. And by their own words, up until that point, the person is innocent.
So why is a person, who by law is supposed to be innocent, sitting in jail? Fail 2-6

Amendment IX
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

So then any law that prohibits gun ownership (the second amendment) violates not just the second amendment, but this one as well? Fail 2-7

Amendment X
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

The people? We have powers? What can I do with these powers? As far as I’ve seen in working with the government, nothing! Fail 2-8

Final score two rights kept, eight violated. At 2-8, most NFL coaches would be fired. And they only run a football team, not the most powerful country on Earth.

Many educated and knowledgeable people believe this democracy of ours is on the brink of failure.

Well yeah!

Our government makes us go to work to earn income, and then they come around and take what they want and use it how they want. They keep lying to us that we voted for the tax, but many times you’ve seen the imposition of a tax that failed on the ballot. And they take away the rights that they are supposed to uphold. We lose our hard earned money and we lose our rights that are supposed to be upheld and insured with that same money to begin with.

Yeah, I’d call that screwed.

It’s only a matter of time until the masses realize what is really going on, and fight back.
A revolution takes place, just like the one that started this country.

It’s true, you know?

Power corrupts,
and absolute power corrupts absolutely