Getting information from crackpot libertarian Lew Rockwell about taxes would be like asking Karl Marx his opinion of capitalism. Taxes as "theft" is the rant of cheapskate Libertarians and Republicans who are more then willing to have others pay for the infrastructure, et al, that cheapskate Libertarians and Republicans are more than to use.
"Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society."
Contrary to the skewed partisan observations of "Zaphod Beeblebrox," here's how Democrats, Republicans, and Libertarians have historically viewed the question of taxation:
1) Libertarians providing stupid philosophical gibberish as to why they should be excused from paying taxes. What a load of baloney. 2) Republicans attempting to avoid the one tax that is a progressive tax and pass the cost on to the middle class, the working poor, and the really poor.
The first thing Gov Mary Failing did was extend tax cuts to Oklahoma's wealthiest.
“Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society.”
fiscal year 2011, 86 percent of income tax revenue went to the General Revenue Fund, 8 % went to an education reform fund, 5% to a teachers' retirement fund and 1% to reimbursements for local governments make up revenue lost to economic incentives. The GRF needs to be specifically defined!!! that is where I would like to see what and where that money is being invested in, it makes no sense to have a general fund in which no income is being generated off of the principle, a portfolio would with that big of a slice of pie, it would be categorized where your Tax money is being funneled to. Fiscal transparency being the buzz word of our current democratic & economic leaders, our own local representation should be embracing these philosophies also. Stand up and be seen and heard I applaud Occupy Tulsa/ Wall-Street
Texas and Florida, New Hampshire and a few more states don't have state income taxes but the tax burden falls on property owners to a terrible degree, making home and land ownership punitive. It would be better to remove taxes from food and prescriptions. All other purchases are elective.
Oklahoma should be bold and try eliminating all income, property, and sales taxes, and institute a business tax - a tax on all transactions. The scientists at apttax.com have developed a pretty good plan for how it could work. Less than 1% on every transaction would not only supply enough revenue to enforce laws, but would reinforce the idea that government should not control people, but the interactions between people, insuring that they're voluntary.
Your derogatory statement was not an argument for your position but merely perjorative name calling.
It may surprise you but I also have been "a teacher of the constitution" for almost two decades in a Tulsa-area high school.
The noted constitutional lawyer Lysander Spooner provided the definitive statement on this question of taxation and the Constitution:
http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig4/spooner1.html
For more on Spooner, his life and ideas, consult the informative website, LysanderSpooner.org created by Dr. Randy E. Barnett, Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Legal Theory, Georgetown University Law Center.
HOW BOUT CUTTING OKLAHOMA WELFARE AND STATE AID!!!!!! IM SICK OF PAYING FOR LAZY PEOPLE AND PEOPLE WHO ARE HERE ILLEGALLY!!!PUT A LIMIT ON IT. I KNOW PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN USING THE SYSTEM FOR 20YRS!!!! IF YOU CANT FIND SOME WAY TO SUPPORT YOUR FAMILY AFTER SAY, 3 YEARS THE PROBLEM IS WITH YOU! STOP STEALING MY MONEY!!! MY 24YR OLD SON NEEDS SHOULDER SURG. BUT, HE DOES NOT HV ANY INS. OKLAHOMA WONT HELP HIM!!! THEY JUST SAY "SO SORRY WE CANT HELP A YOUNG WHITE MALE!!!!!"
Here are two areas to tax to get Oklahoma in the black:
1) Casinos: The casinos are out of control. More money is being spent in Oklahoma in casinos than any other business. Yet, we cannot tax them? Reparation is beyond fulfilled for this group of criminals.
2) College Sporting Events: Bob Stoops makes $5 million a year running this tax-free business that draws over 500 million a year in sales without taxation. None of which is required to go back to fund the secondary schools who developed the athletes being exploited for free labor in university athletics.
As a teacher of the United States Constitution, I must correct a few factual errors on the part of "anarchteacher".
1) "We" ARE the people. Please read the first three words of the Constitution. The silly notion that we are not the people or the government is insanity.
2) Please read Article I, Section 8, Clause 1 of the Constitution. It reads (and I quote), "Congress shall have the power to lay and collect taxes". Likewise, the notion that all taxation is theft is equally insane.
I refuse to debate an insane person, but merely suggest, respectfully, that they seek treatment for their illness.
Because human beings are precious in the sight of God, we are born with an immortal soul, and with what the ancient Greeks called the capacity of "logos," or reasoned-speech.
This gives us a distinct nature. As a result, humans possess inalienable natural rights, which are pre-political, or prior to the establishment of the government.
These natural rights include the right to life (to self-ownership of our bodies, our bodily integrity, and that of self-defense); the right to liberty (to self-sustaining and self-generating action or freedom of movement); and the right to property (to self-ownership and ownership of the resources we have transformed with our labor (or exchanged our labor or labor equivalent in the form of money) to obtain).
Taxation is theft.
There is no dictionary definition which makes a valid distinction between an act of robbery committed by a mugger or thief from that done by an agent of government acting under cover of law.
At least the mugger does not force you to bow down before him, salute his flag, and claim his actions are "the price we pay for civilization." He is too honorable and decent to be guilty of such rank hypocrisy and deceit.
"The government" is not "us."
It is an armed gang of looters, liars, and murderers which claim a monopoly on the use of violence or force in a given territorial area.
All gangs have their turf.
Yet some people continue to say that "we" are "the government," which is freely and democratically elected by "us." Anything "the government" does is legal because it is acting in our name.
But this comparable to saying that the Jews in Nazi Germany were not murdered but committed suicide because "they" were part of "the government" which was freely and democratically elected, and which acted under cover of law.
Good story above with very helpful time line. Too bad the state is relying on the federal govt for so much of its budget esp with such high taxes on producers. With acceptance of this money comes control and conditions from the federal agencies that all have an agenda. Oklahoma is a poor state with a small tax base and over taxes its producers. With less tax on income, Ok could attract more jobs and be more competitive. We have a great, well run state overall with lots of resources including water and people with a good work ethic but we need lower income tax rates to attrract business and compete with the states around us that all have lower rates.
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COMMENTS
Re: To Income Tax or Not to Income Tax?
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Re: To Income Tax or Not to Income Tax?
"Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society."
Re: To Income Tax or Not to Income Tax?
http://www.lewrockwell.com/burris/burris16.1.html
Re: To Income Tax or Not to Income Tax?
Here are the real deadbeats....
1) Libertarians providing stupid philosophical gibberish as to why they should be excused from paying taxes. What a load of baloney.
2) Republicans attempting to avoid the one tax that is a progressive tax and pass the cost on to the middle class, the working poor, and the really poor.
The first thing Gov Mary Failing did was extend tax cuts to
Oklahoma's wealthiest.
“Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society.”
Re: To Income Tax or Not to Income Tax?
The GRF needs to be specifically defined!!! that is where I would like to see what and where that money is being invested in, it makes no sense to have a general fund in which no income is being generated off of the principle, a portfolio would with that big of a slice of pie, it would be categorized where your Tax money is being funneled to. Fiscal transparency being the buzz word of our current democratic & economic leaders, our own local representation should be embracing these philosophies also. Stand up and be seen and heard I applaud Occupy Tulsa/ Wall-Street
Re: To Income Tax or Not to Income Tax?
Re: To Income Tax or Not to Income Tax?
Re: To Income Tax or Not to Income Tax?
Re: To Income Tax or Not to Income Tax?
Your derogatory statement was not an argument for your position but merely perjorative name calling.
It may surprise you but I also have been "a teacher of the constitution" for almost two decades in a Tulsa-area high school.
The noted constitutional lawyer Lysander Spooner provided the definitive statement on this question of taxation and the Constitution:
http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig4/spooner1.html
For more on Spooner, his life and ideas, consult the informative website, LysanderSpooner.org created by Dr. Randy E. Barnett, Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Legal Theory, Georgetown University Law Center.
Re: To Income Tax or Not to Income Tax?
Re: To Income Tax or Not to Income Tax?
1) Casinos: The casinos are out of control. More money is being spent in Oklahoma in casinos than any other business. Yet, we cannot tax them? Reparation is beyond fulfilled for this group of criminals.
2) College Sporting Events: Bob Stoops makes $5 million a year running this tax-free business that draws over 500 million a year in sales without taxation. None of which is required to go back to fund the secondary schools who developed the athletes being exploited for free labor in university athletics.
Re: To Income Tax or Not to Income Tax?
1) "We" ARE the people. Please read the first three words of the Constitution. The silly notion that we are not the people or the government is insanity.
2) Please read Article I, Section 8, Clause 1 of the Constitution. It reads (and I quote), "Congress shall have the power to lay and collect taxes". Likewise, the notion that all taxation is theft is equally insane.
I refuse to debate an insane person, but merely suggest, respectfully, that they seek treatment for their illness.
Re: To Income Tax or Not to Income Tax?
This gives us a distinct nature. As a result, humans possess inalienable natural rights, which are pre-political, or prior to the establishment of the government.
These natural rights include the right to life (to self-ownership of our bodies, our bodily integrity, and that of self-defense); the right to liberty (to self-sustaining and self-generating action or freedom of movement); and the right to property (to self-ownership and ownership of the resources we have transformed with our labor (or exchanged our labor or labor equivalent in the form of money) to obtain).
Taxation is theft.
There is no dictionary definition which makes a valid distinction between an act of robbery committed by a mugger or thief from that done by an agent of government acting under cover of law.
At least the mugger does not force you to bow down before him, salute his flag, and claim his actions are "the price we pay for civilization." He is too honorable and decent to be guilty of such rank hypocrisy and deceit.
"The government" is not "us."
It is an armed gang of looters, liars, and murderers which claim a monopoly on the use of violence or force in a given territorial area.
All gangs have their turf.
Yet some people continue to say that "we" are "the government," which is freely and democratically elected by "us." Anything "the government" does is legal because it is acting in our name.
But this comparable to saying that the Jews in Nazi Germany were not murdered but committed suicide because "they" were part of "the government" which was freely and democratically elected, and which acted under cover of law.
Re: To Income Tax or Not to Income Tax?