Posted on 08/07/2004 1:05:22 PM PDT by forest
Share-cropping became common in the United States after the Civil War. Back then, many Southern plantations had ample land, but little money to pay wages. At the same time, a large segment of the population was left impoverished, with little prospect of earning an adequate living. So, it was little surprise that the landed people -- those with the means of producing a product -- contracted with the poor, who had labor to offer, to produce a product from which both might profit.
Share croppers normally received a home, the necessary tools, farm animals, and sometimes even some education, for their labor. They also received a share in the profit -- usually, about half -- from the fruits of their labor.
This arrangement was somewhat similar to the arrangement of the serfs of England. Both groups were tied to the land owner. Both paid half of the product of their labor for the privilege of living and working on the land. And, with both, the amount of freedom allowed to the workers by the landowners was often quite arbitrary.
Usually, the land owner told them what they will do, how they are to do it and when they were expected to do it. For instance, the land owners wished to insure that everyone in the family would be available to work the fields during the growing season. To that end, they even suspended education every summer.
Today, few of us work the fields. Yet, are we less of a share-cropper? Clearly, half of all the proceeds of our labor is still paid to the ultimate landowner, the government. Unlike serfs or share-croppers, we must now purchase the land on which we live. Yet, the ultimate landowner -- the government -- still instructs us on what we may or may not do with that land.
There was a time in our common law when it was taught that "Every man's house is his castle; and even though the winds of heaven may blow through it, the King may not enter." That was, of course, to include the sheriff, the tax collector, and all other police officers too. However, the Lords and Ladies of Congress did not find this common law maxim expedient to the expressed goals of modern government. Consequently, they found ways to totally trash the concept.
Not to be outdone by the original land-barons of old, today's government has decreed "servient estate" over our property to itself. That is, federal, state and local governments have passed laws allowing government agents easement to our private property. Consequently, not only can today's government place restrictions on the use of private property, government agents may now search and seize private property almost at will.
You think not? Violate some incomprehensible wetland law and the Army (Corps of Engineers) comes after you. Forget to pay property tax, or what the IRS says you owe, and men with guns come to run you off of your land. And, God forbid some farmer would grow a crop that is not politically correct. . . .
A court trial is no longer usually necessary to confiscate private property. But, even if there is cause for trial, first you must relinquish possession of your property to the applicable government agency. Then, you may go to trial.
Adding insult to injury, the Supreme Court recently approved government's taking of private property by saying that forfeiture was different than punishment. This opinion gave police, and most other government agencies, cart blanche to confiscate private property for a whole host of reasons. And they do. There is great incentive for government agencies to confiscate private property. By law, they then use the proceeds from selling forfeited property to supplement the agency's budget.
So too with the concept of privacy. Like the land owner of old, today's government keeps very good records on its citizens. Hundreds of citizen databases exist throughout the country, containing everything from education, criminal and medical to financial records.
Worse, all of these databases will soon all be connected, allowing any bureaucrat to instantly compile a complete dossier on any American citizen.
Today's government schools no longer teach much about the relationship between the European serf and Master. Nor do they teach much about the tenuous relationship between the Southern share-croppers and land owners. Perhaps there is good reason for that.
Taxes take half our earnings, and government tells us what we can do with our own land.
Hundreds of citizen databases on people exist throughout the country.
Government schools no longer teach much about the European serf and Master, and Southern share-croppers and land owners. Perhaps there is good reason for that.
save
Nothing will change until the People are done with debating & arguing about it and say, "We are done talking. If you intend to force it be sure to bring plenty of ammo."
I wish he had cited the case. I would like to read it.
End is right! the end to our foundations. Thanks for the great article. incramentalism is a process in which they seize little by little and no one even notices or cares. similar to the frog in the pot of water. Instead of sticking to the foundations they focus on 'but the other 'bad guy' candidate is worse! rah rah rah for our hero!'
Outstanding article - thanks. Hey, who's this Doug Fiedor person?
Just a lurker here for a few years.
I share your sentiments, but I would remind you there is miles of territory between the ballot box and the ammo box. Government agents can be destroyed through nonviolent means, and through deniable and untracable attacks. Guns are a tool for the direst emergencies.
Destroying them and their families psychologically is as effective as killing them, and far more repeatable.
Here's my question to you - some people here at fr believe that cw2 will come soon. I myself don't - I think (for whatever reasons) that american "citizens" just don't care any more (except about television). Don't care about paying 50% taxes, don't care about no freedom of speech, don't care about homo marriage. Some people think we're on-track for cw2 - I think america will just slide step-by-step into socialism/comminusm like france or canada. What do you think?
For what it is worth I think you are right. It does not help that we are being populated with foreigners that do not speak our langauge or know our history and remain loyal to their home country. Of course schools do not teach it either. And both of today's political parties are for globalization which will result in socialism.
What I have read goes something like this, the gov believes your property is quilty of a crime, so the gov takes your property until you prove the property is innosent. Now you are never accused because there is no proof you did anything wrong. But if you can not prove your property is innocent the gov takes it.
That's a matter of civil law, where one's use is supposedly a source of harm to collected interests as supposedly represented by government. This is not a hard rationale to blow wide open. Any attorney who lost that case is either incompetent or (more likely) in collusion with the agency.
I could google and collect a few links, if you like.
Here in Alabama we have an example where the govment took land to sell to Walmart of all things.
When I was a kid (and later a young beat cop in the neighborhood) the feds watched us like we were all a bunch of commie spies. And, yeah, in fact, there were two, but the neighborhood took care of them long before the FBI learned of them.
Again, I walk these same streets an hour or two each night, rain, snow or whatever. This time, it's for health reasons and I'm a hell of a lot older. Two things are exactly the same, though: our neighborhood is perfectly safe 24/7 and the people are friendly in any direction I walk. Also, again, folks are out in the neighborhood and interacting with others, often till well after midnight.
When the "big black out" happened, it was very hot here in the Detroit area, so everyone was outside most of the day. Stores were supposed to stay closed but the Arabs don't follow directions too well and opened up anyway. People came shopping, too. One enterprising proprietor somehow got a large truckload of ice and sold big bags for a buck a bag. That saved the stuff in a whole lot of people's refrigerators that weekend, including mine. Then, apparently, he gave the city officials his source and they trucked ice in. Oh, and because the power was out, debit and credit cards were no good. So, most of our local merchants gave credit to whoever needed it -- the only requirement was to sign the slip with name and telephone number.
Need I also say that this is still a strong Republican neighborhood? Yeah, it is. Lots of Iraqis around here. They love George W. Bush.
As far as politics go, I am against most federal regulatory agencies and have written so many times in the past decade. I knew, years ago, that President Bush had plans to abolish the IRS and the tax code as we know it. He also plans to attenuate a few of the regulatory agencies next term. Some of that has been quietly underway for well over a year.
As for the flat tax, et al, remember that Jack Kemp, Bob Dole, Dick Army, Steve Forbes, and others champions of that flat tax program are all still quite alive and willing to lend a hand. I'll be kibitzing on that a little later, but that up-and-coming program is exactly why I re-ran that old "Serf or Share Cropper" article again in this week's newsletter. Newsletter subscribers "read" the articles somewhat differently than the folks here do and know when a series is starting. I have a few articles on the topic nearly ready to go and, along with my babble, have asked a couple well-schooled economists to join me in that series.
But, for now, how about we let President Bush get the credit he so well deserves when he announces his programs. I, for one, fully agree (at least in concept) with most of what will (probably) be announced. President Bush has a convention coming up in which he can be expected to break part of that news. We need him to get elected again to get those things properly started -- because I know damn well Kerry will take us directly the other way.
No matter what any of us personally think about how the federal government is operated at the moment. George W. Bush is, by far, our best choice available for the next four years. My suggestion is that we both actively help him get elected again AND make our voices heard as to what we want him to do in his last four years.
Then, as I say every four years, start looking around for who we will support next time -- a Liberty minded candidate. Select someone. Then, make sure everyone knows who and why. That's our system, after all.
People care. They just have to see that there's a good chance for change. Otherwise, half of them won't even bother to vote, as usually happens. We . . . all of us . . . have to show them something if we want their attention. And that collective "we" have not. Here, on Free Republic (thanks to Jim), "we" have started to organize. That's a start, just not enough yet.
I wrote a book on the topic. I was just interested in the specific Supreme Court case to which Mr. Fedor referred, thanks.
Could you please supply a reference to that case? I would like to read the opinion. Thanks.
Good article. Plays into the income tax - sales tax debate.
There's a reason for that too --- they are quite used to being serfs --- because that's all they were where they are from. Ask one about their rancho -- you'll find those were communal lands --- when they left the ejido or rancho, they never sold it.
Good article. Plays into the income tax - sales tax debate.
In recognition of Alan Keyes' coined term for the income tax, "The Slave Tax"
I would personally prefer the NRST H.R.25 Family Consumption Allowence be separated into its own Subtitle under the NRST legislation as it is actually an independant payment not related to "prior" levies of NRST on the individual and is not a "rebate" at all. Actually the title should be something appropriate in recognition of the repeal of the Income Tax (aka Alan's "Slave Tax"). And the allowence renamed accordingly.
I hereby present for tthe consideration of all the:
"TAX SLAVE REPARATIONS ACT".
Whereas every legal resident has been held in the bondage and perpetual legal jeopardy of the Income/Payroll VAT the NRST proposes to replace and abolish.
Whereas we have all been held captive by an oppressive overlord IRS for many generations now, I believe we are all due reparations for the considerable damage the income tax has done to each of us personally and to this Republic as a whole. If for no other reason, the FCA is thus justified.
Whereas the Declaration of Independence expresses the inalianable right to Life to be protected as a fundamental duty of government, the most basic level that sustains life and the capacity to participate in the nation's economic life (povertylevel), should be compensated for any taxation that would be imposed by the structure of the tax mechanism at that basic level of sustaining LIFE.
I see no justification for not providing, in fact I see a duty to provide, that FCA allowance in compensation for past and future impositions on our basic freedoms any system of tax must inherently exhibit.
Keyes on Taxes & Government Spending:
- "The income tax in effect makes us vassals to the government – the politicians decide how much income we can keep. No mere “reform” of this slave tax, such as flattening the rate, can correct its fundamental denial of control over our own money. Only the abolition of the income tax itself will restore the basic American principle that our income is both our own money and our own private business - not the government's."
- "Replacing the income tax with a national sales tax would rejuvenate independence and responsibility in our citizens. True economic liberty and moral revival go hand in hand."
- "A national sales tax would also put the American citizen back in control of national fiscal policy. The best way to curtail government spending is to cut taxes, because they can’t spend what they don’t get. But with a sales tax, we could deny funds to a spendthrift government – and give ourselves a tax cut – whenever we make the private choice to alter our spending and saving habits."
Alan Keyes Interview with Des Moines Register:
- Conservative commentator Alan Keyes said Thursday one of the first things he would do as president would be to replace the federal income tax with a national sales tax.
- The Republican presidential candidate said he favors a national sales tax of about 23 percent that would also replace the payroll tax that pays for Social Security.
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