“But how is this legal plunder to be identified? Quite simply. See if the law takes from some persons what belongs to them, and gives it to other persons to whom it does not belong. See if the law benefits one citizen at the expense of another by doing what the citizen himself cannot do without committing a crime.” — Frederic Bastiat, The Law
Taxes are a necessary evil, but they’re still evil.
Let’s start with a basic premise: Theft is wrong.
If one person steals your car, they go to jail. If two people steal your car, they both go to jail. If a majority of people vote to steal your car, you go to jail if you don’t let them have it.
When taxes become involuntary, they become theft. When a majority votes for an involuntary taking of private property, the government becomes an instrument of gang-theft.
Most Americans seem to not have a problem with taxes, as long as somebody else is getting taxed. Under any and all religious and civil codes, this is wrong. Almost every culture in human history established the ‘Golden Rule’ — treat others how you’d like to be treated — yet, some continue to advocate for higher taxes for particular groups of people.
As a poor college student, I can understand why people feel the need to soak the rich in taxes, especially after the Wall Street Bailouts and subsequent bonuses. The bailouts and bonuses were theft in their own right, but bad behavior never justifies more bad behavior. And, not all rich people are on Wall Street.
When the government ends up classifying the vast majority of our small business owners as “rich,” ‘Mom and Pop’ become apart of the hated class. Small business owners report revenue in their income taxes, meaning most relatively small businesses are forced into the highest tax bracket.
Now, Obama and crew want to raise these taxes even higher. Some might not feel bad snagging some cash from a fat-cat banker, but punishing our biggest job-creators is beyond counterproductive. The government insists on stealing capital from the same people they expect to hire more workers.
It makes neither economic nor civil sense. The tax code punishes success, disincentives hiring, chases jobs overseas, removes private property, limits personal success, and discriminates.
Yes, the IRS discriminates using the tax code. Ignoring the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause, the government taxes people different percentages based on their monetary productivity and uses wealth to create different classes of citizens.
Obama and his progressive buddies want to widen this divide even further. Every unprincipled cause needs a scapegoat, and liberals want to create an environment where the majority of the country bastardizes and gang-steals from the “rich.”
Creating a country of victims is false populism. Americans must refuse to give in.
Like most people, I’m not even close to being quote “rich,” but the economic and moral logic opposing higher taxes transcends any personal envy I have toward those who are. I like it when business owners give me jobs. I don’t want to take their wealth; I want to earn my own. That’s the American spirit.
Ron Meyer hosts We the People Internet Show and writes a weekly column for Human Events. He is a student at Principia College and a former National Journalism Center intern who has also written political opinion for AOL News and the Santa Barbara News-Press.
