Taxation

A Warning from the Past

by Charles Adams March 1, 1994

In A.D. 476 Odovacar, a German commander in the Roman army, sacked Rome and took over the imperial throne. That date is usually cited as the end of the Roman Empire. As a political force, Rome did end about that time, but the spirit of Roman civilization had ...

The War on Cash and Privacy

by Donald S. McAlvany March 1, 1994

In the former Soviet Union, if the government wanted to apprehend and imprison someone who had committed no crime, they charged him with the catchall crime of "hooliganism." In America, the catchall crime used against organized crime figures or other Americans has for years been RICO statutes or ...

Serfs on the Plantation, Part 4

by Jacob G. Hornberger September 1, 1993

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 David Koresh and his followers challenged the cult of the omnipotent state. And for that, they paid the ultimate price — death at the hands of United States governmental officials. The message was a powerful one for American serfs: "As long as you behave and obey, ...

Serfs on the Plantation, Part 3

by Jacob G. Hornberger August 1, 1993

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 The welfare state was collapsing under its own weight in the later stages of the Roman Empire. Those who were on the dole were demanding more dole. Those who were paying the taxes were demanding lower taxes. The authorities were in a quandary. If they promised ...

Serfs on the Plantation, Part 2

by Jacob G. Hornberger July 1, 1993

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 In ancient Rome, the political authorities used three primary means to discourage or quell rebellions among the citizenry. First, they would give more welfare to the people, thereby making them more docile and content. Second, they would create foreign crises by which they could rally the ...

Serfs on the Plantation, Part 1

by Jacob G. Hornberger June 1, 1993

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 Bill Clinton wants Americans to sacrifice more. Larger "contributions" to the government will save the welfare state and the managed economy, Clinton tells the citizenry. Sacrifice more, and permanent prosperity will be just around the corner. Most Americans see through the sham and deceit of the term ...

The Hand in Your Pocket

by John T. Flynn June 1, 1993

Perhaps one of the most monumental frauds in our history is the politicians' trick of making the ordinary citizen believe that the income tax is a scheme to soak the rich. The harsh fact is that the so-called "little man" or "common man" on whom the politicians lavish so much affection, is the lad who pays the great mass ...

Spending Our Way to Prosperity

by Jacob G. Hornberger June 1, 1992

American politicians and bureaucrats continually bombard us with the notion that the road to prosperity lies in increased spending by the citizenry. It is one of the most destructive economic myths promoted by our governmental officials. And unless the American people carefully reason out the processes by which people ...

Tyranny at the State and Local Level

by Jacob G. Hornberger February 1, 1992

Tyranny at the state and local level is out of control. In order to benefit the politically privileged, state and local governments — like their national counterpart — are using their tax and regulatory powers to plunder and loot the citizenry. There are few better examples of this tyranny than the ...

An Open Letter to American Blacks

by Jacob G. Hornberger October 1, 1991

The prospects for freedom in America may very well lie with you. For you have been most damaged by the welfare-state, planned-economy way of life. I wish to share some of my perspectives with you in the hopes that you will help lead our nation to break free of this enslaving ...

The Income Tax: Root of All Evil

by Frank Chodorov August 1, 1990

The puts no limit on governmental confiscation. The government can, under the law, take everything the citizen earns, even to the extent of depriving him of all above mere subsistence, which it must allow him in order ...

The United States and the Roman Empire

by Lawrence W. Reed June 1, 1990

Nearly four decades before the birth of Christ, the Roman orator Cicero offered this sound advice: "The budget should be balanced, public debt should be reduced, the treasury should be rebuilt, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and assistance to foreign hands should be curtailed, lest ...