"Handouts"

[Blackhawk2001]

Well, I get your argument for use of the word. And actually looking up "Take by force" a lot of similar words did describe what happened in the slave trade.

Here's the link. <a href="http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/take+by+force">take by force</a>

So, once again I was wrong. The word does fit. I tried looking up similar to what you typed but I guess it was to specific and got some "snow" results that didn't help.

Your problem was that you didn't want to hear that particular word, but we ofttimes choose a particular word because of its emotional impact or because it evokes particular overtones. "Slavery" gets your attention better than "Confiscatory".

 

[jsharmon7]

Do you get that the only difference between any of us here earning a wage and the black man in chains 200 years ago is the chains?

This was the statement that was made. To say that the government taking a portion of your earnings each week in the form of taxes is anything at all akin to what slaves in America endured prior to Abolition is insane.

Now people are backpedaling and saying that our situation is similar to the idea of slavery, but just to a degree of it. Well which is it? Are any of you losing your entire income to the government? Are any of you being literally forced to work? Are any of you forced to stay in America by your "Master?" Have any of your families been split up in the name of benefiting your "Master?" Have any of you been completely stripped of your free will? Do you realize that you have the unbelievable luck to live in the greatest country on earth and have arguably the best quality of life in the history of mankind? I have some friends from certain foreign countries that would absolutely love to hear how bad you all have it here in America.

To suggest that because your government (that you elect and control) takes a portion of your income as taxes is akin to slavery is melodramatic at best. To suggest it's even remotely similar to what African Americans endured prior to the Civil War is absolutely ignorant and I don't want any part of it.

 

[Eddie]

This was the statement that was made. To say that the government taking a portion of your earnings each week in the form of taxes is anything at all akin to what slaves in America endured prior to Abolition is insane.

Now people are backpedaling and saying that our situation is similar to the idea of slavery, but just to a degree of it. Well which is it? Are any of you losing your entire income to the government? Are any of you being literally forced to work? Are any of you forced to stay in America by your "Master?" Have any of your families been split up in the name of benefiting your "Master?" Have any of you been completely stripped of your free will? Do you realize that you have the unbelievable luck to live in the greatest country on earth and have arguably the best quality of life in the history of mankind? I have some friends from certain foreign countries that would absolutely love to hear how bad you all have it here in America.

To suggest that because your government (that you elect and control) takes a portion of your income as taxes is akin to slavery is melodramatic at best. To suggest it's even remotely similar to what African Americans endured prior to the Civil War is absolutely ignorant and I don't want any part of it.

I think that the analogy to theft is much more accurate. You are free to choose what career path you follow, the government is just going take some of your earnings as you make them and then take a little bit more each time you make a purchase and then take a little bit more if you own property or a business.

The analogy comes closer to robbery if you resist the theft. If you don't turn a blind eye to the stealing then armed men will come and boot down your door and lock you up while they take your stuff and sell it.

I'm not saying that there aren't some good uses for taxes. I like driving on nice roads and over safe bridges. I feel less comfortable with where my tax money is going when the federal government gives it away as charity.

 

[rjstew317]

Tax dodging is just self-defense.

love it, absolutely love it!

 

[dross]

Refuse to give your money to Master, and you'll be ripped from your children, confined, raped, beaten, forced to do labor for the state, and possibly killed. So long as you don't object, your slavery isn't as brutal... but withhold your property from Master, and see what happens to you and your family.

Excellent point.

This was the statement that was made. To say that the government taking a portion of your earnings each week in the form of taxes is anything at all akin to what slaves in America endured prior to Abolition is insane.

Now people are backpedaling and saying that our situation is similar to the idea of slavery, but just to a degree of it. Well which is it? Are any of you losing your entire income to the government? Are any of you being literally forced to work? Are any of you forced to stay in America by your "Master?" Have any of your families been split up in the name of benefiting your "Master?" Have any of you been completely stripped of your free will? Do you realize that you have the unbelievable luck to live in the greatest country on earth and have arguably the best quality of life in the history of mankind? I have some friends from certain foreign countries that would absolutely love to hear how bad you all have it here in America.

To suggest that because your government (that you elect and control) takes a portion of your income as taxes is akin to slavery is melodramatic at best. To suggest it's even remotely similar to what African Americans endured prior to the Civil War is absolutely ignorant and I don't want any part of it.

I'm not backpedaling at all. If you read my post, you missed my major point.

You think of slavery in terms of the degradations of enslaved blacks 200 years ago. Many of them, however, earned small amounts of money, and could travel freely in their local area. Many weren't whipped or raped. That doesn't change their condition.

Slavery is a condition in which you are forced to provide some of the fruits of your labor to another person. The other stuff is just the types of things you can do to slaves.

 

[jbombelli]

This was the statement that was made. To say that the government taking a portion of your earnings each week in the form of taxes is anything at all akin to what slaves in America endured prior to Abolition is insane.

Now people are backpedaling and saying that our situation is similar to the idea of slavery, but just to a degree of it. Well which is it? Are any of you losing your entire income to the government? Are any of you being literally forced to work? Are any of you forced to stay in America by your "Master?" Have any of your families been split up in the name of benefiting your "Master?" Have any of you been completely stripped of your free will? Do you realize that you have the unbelievable luck to live in the greatest country on earth and have arguably the best quality of life in the history of mankind? I have some friends from certain foreign countries that would absolutely love to hear how bad you all have it here in America.

To suggest that because your government (that you elect and control) takes a portion of your income as taxes is akin to slavery is melodramatic at best. To suggest it's even remotely similar to what African Americans endured prior to the Civil War is absolutely ignorant and I don't want any part of it.

Africans weren't the only ones brought here as slaves. There were plenty of white slaves that came from Ireland. Most people don't know that, though, because we don't play the victim card like certain others, and Irish slavery is conveniently ignored as much as possible.

My Irish ancestors came to Virginia as slaves. Sold by England to English settlers in 1655.

And as a matter of fact, African slaves since they weren't Catholics, and were far more expensive, were typically treated FAR better than Irish slaves.

Do some research on this. Learn the real truth about slavery in this country before you shoot your mouth off.

But I will agree that what we have here is in no way slavery. If someone wants to leave, they are free to do so anytime. It is much more akin to theft, as someone else alluded to previously.

 

[dross]

Theft or slavery? It's a fine point. How about this:

If you refuse to submit to slavery, they'll just steal your stuff anyway. If you try to keep them from stealing your stuff, they'll deprive you of your liberty. If you refuse to go peacably to the place of liberty deprivement, they'll shoot you.

When you get out of the place of liberty deprivement, should you choose to go to work, the whole process begins again.

Most theives just take your stuff and leave.

 

[Fletch]

Theft or slavery? It's a fine point. How about this:

If you refuse to submit to slavery, they'll just steal your stuff anyway. If you try to keep them from stealing your stuff, they'll deprive you of your liberty. If you refuse to go peacably to the place of liberty deprivement, they'll shoot you.

When you get out of the place of liberty deprivement, should you choose to go to work, the whole process begins again.

Most theives just take your stuff and leave.

Or, as P.J. O'Rourke put it:

The secret to balancing the budget is to remember that all tax revenue is the result of holding a gun to somebody's head. Not paying taxes is against the law. If you don't pay your taxes you'll be fined. If you don't pay the fine you'll be jailed. If you try to escape from jail, you'll be shot. Thus, I - in my role as citizen and voter - am going to shoot you - in your role as taxpayer and ripe suck - if you don't pay your share of the national tab. Therefore, every time the government spends money on anything, I have to ask myself, ‘Would I kill my kindly, gray-haired mother for this?’

 

[rambone]

Are any of you losing your entire income to the government?

Have any of you been completely stripped of your free will?

Well gee wiz. The scraps of freedom we are left with should be enough to keep us from complaining.

 

[Fletch]

Well gee wiz. The scraps of freedom we are left with should be enough to keep us from complaining.

It's not gun control if you're still allowed a single shot .22, right?

 

[littletommy]

Ask me for my money or my help, and there's a very good chance you'll get it. Some have even gotten it without having to ask.

Demand my money or my help, and all you are is an enemy.

This pretty much sums it up!