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I wasn't making that argument in the context of taxes. I guess I should have known better...
Even then, this only requires a slight amendment to my original point. A slave has no say. You do. Vote for someone who will lower your taxes, and if no one suits your needs, run for public office yourself. Nothing will prevent you from doing either, unlike in a situation where you are a slave and effectively have no rights.
Waaaaaat?
So your logic is if a thief is stealing too much from you just become a thief yourself???
irspow is right: how the hell do you people look in the mirror???
I wasn't making that argument in the context of taxes. I guess I should have known better...
Even then, this only requires a slight amendment to my original point. A slave has no say. You do. Vote for someone who will lower your taxes, and if no one suits your needs, run for public office yourself. Nothing will prevent you from doing either, unlike in a situation where you are a slave and effectively have no rights.
There isn't a number that answers that question. The amount of your labor you get in return is irrelevant to your status as being free. If I willingly work for someone who takes 100% of what I do but I can choose to leave at anytime without fear of punishment, I am not a slave. If your free will is not being forcibly taken, you are not a slave, rather you keep 100% of 1% of your labor in return.
As No_Recess said, you aren't free to just leave. You have to pay them off, and even then they won't leave you alone. The other more important question I'd ask is whether you think the state is the rightful owner of everything within its borders. If not, why is it my obligation to move off of my own property? Outside of government and politics, is there any scenario where you're the one who has to leave when somebody shows up and gives you a list of rules and fees they made up?
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Well, actually, individual citizens to have the right to make laws. That's the concept behind democracy. Someone runs (or you can run) voicing support for certain policy and principles. Being that every citizen has the right to vote (well, not currently but I do believe that's how it should be and anyone who claims to support democarcy and doesn't think that, I feel, is a hypocrite), they can effectively determine what laws exist. The constitution was designed to prevent certain laws from passing that would be a violation of other people's rights. One can argue that the constitution has failed in preventing that, but that's is a different topic entirely. I answered your question.
The problem there is that citizens don't make the laws. They elect someone to make laws "on their behalf". To keep the slave/plantation theme going, it's like the slaves believing they're in charge because they can pick the plantation owner or his brother to run the plantation. They're still the slaves, even if they get to pick the master.
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According to the principles that founded this country, not many things. A police force, military, certain basic infrastructure. Things like that are, considered, to be the most utilitarian option. It's assumed that these things probably would not exist, or would exist in a rather negative context, if a government did not have authority to collect taxes to build these things. Just as an example, a police force under the government can be held to uphold the law. A police force by just anyone has no actual obligation to uphold the law. This is why, while I can make a citizens arrest, I would need a badge sanctioned by the government for me to have any authority over you.
I appreciate you answering the questions here, first of all... but you did avoid this one. Is there anything you personally don't want to fund? Anything at all...war? Surveillance state? Any programs you don't think should exist? What's something that you're against that you should be forced by others to fund?
And quickly, since it makes my point from question 2, why does a police officer have authority over you but I don't? I don't want to answer for you, but I assume you'll say from the government (police are part of the government), so where does the government get this authority? This is actually THE key to everything I'm talking about.
3. Per Art. I, section 8, I pay the taxes due, which in one way or another fund everything the federal government does. Per my State's constitution (and the incorporation of my local gov't), I pay further taxes that, in the same way, fund everything my State's government does. That is how representative democracy works.
Didn't answer my question. Name something others should force you to pay for that you don't want to pay for.
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Your last paragraph reads like a child's reasoning, hence your rhetorical question answers itself.
Nuh uh. Your sentence reads like a child's reasoning. (Actually you didn't give any reasoning...only insults.)
Promissory notes are agreements between creditor and debtor???
Do you realize how insane that sounds?
You must use their currency. M-U-S-T.
It's only an agreement if it's voluntary.
And when I use promissory notes to pay property taxes I am exchanging current debt with future debt in the form of the promise of future labor. Are you even remotely familiar with how the Federal Reserve works?
That's nothing short of strong-arm robbery and/or slavery.
Rationalize it all you like but it's the exact definition of those two things.
I'm about to blow your mind: currency is not a collection of promissory notes.
Absolute, I can handle. It's that particularly posters glaring hypocrisy that turns me off. A page ago, he made a comment about "logical consistency." I gave a logically consistent argument. He can disagree but I met his requirement. But he doesn't acknowledge that and instead just inject his own argument into a snippet of my own to frame me as being the bad guy. And I guess he thinks I'm stupid enough to not notice him doing that.
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