...”I absolutely believe that. Taxation without representation would seem to be a winner in that regard, but We The People are remarkably complacent.”...
90% of the American people do not know what is going on and, further more, do not have an understanding of how our government works. That is why our forefathers put checks and balances in. Now the system is corrupt because of corrupt people who have been elected by an ignorant population looking for government handouts. Who said, “The government which can give you everything you want has the power to take everything you have”. And, I would include, even your very life. The richest people now populating the earth are those who are compliant with a dictatorship in America. They think they will come out ahead by having their hand in the government treasury. They think a tyrannical government will protect them and their wealth. Think again, rich people. Think again.
When the 90% wake up they’ll ask the 10% “Why didn’t you do something.”
On Taxation Without Representation, consider the 640,000 citizens of Washington, DC (more population than Wyoming and Vermont) who have full IRS taxation and no vote in either House or Senate. Now 70% of DC voters have approved a legalized marijuana Initiative this past November, but some Republicans in Congress are trying to stop it’s implementation by forbidding the DC government to spend any of DC’s local tax money to regulated or tax marijuana. For the moment the DC government position is that anyone 21 or over can have up to 6 plants growing at home (3 can be mature), can smoke in their own home, can walk on the street with up to 2 ounces on their person, and can give marijuana to anyone over 21, but cannot be paid for it. In Maryland efforts are being made to also legalize it there with somewhat similar provisions as DC’s. Of course in Maryland they will be able to tax and regulate it since they are an actual state, something DC residents have been struggling to become for many years.
If you think we have bad taxes, look at Finland where a rich man is being fined $60,000 for a 14 mph over the limit speeding ticket. Lots of strong comments pro and con at:
http://www.aol.com/article/2015/03/04/finnish-man-handed-60k-fine-for-speeding/21149477/?ncid=webmail2
Fortunately we have our Constitution, Article 8, “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishment inflicted. Could the people of DC claim that it is a cruel punishment to be paying far more federal taxes than they receive back in federal payment or programs and not even have a vote on how their tax payments are used?