I'm still angry about the census. The federal government had no right to ask most of the questions that were asked on the census forms, and if anyone were to refuse or, heaven forbid, not tell the truth in their answers, he would be subject to the full body slam of the King Kong Code of Federal Regulations. I, for one, answered all of their questions, even the illegal ones, but noted on each one that was not explicitly authorized by the Constitution that the question was illegal and they had no right to ask that question.
I have no intention of sacrificing myself before the runaway freight train of the general government, but I did write to my State Congresswoman and State Senator. I told them that they had a responsibility to defend the civil rights of the citizens of our State and to defend us from illegal encroachments by the general government. I got a 50% favorable response, which is very encouraging.
Then today I read an article by Michael Rozeff (here) and I had an idea:
What if the following were sent Fed Ex Overnight to the Congress of the United States from every State in the Union?
Were-as, the general government of the States united in the North American Union has violated the terms of the Constitution forming that government by forcing the citizens of the States to answer unauthorized questions in pursuit of the decennial census, and
Where-as the States retain their right to refuse their consent to actions by the general government which violate the agreement by which the general government was formed by the States,
Therefore, the States of the North American Union withhold their permission for the general government to conduct the census of 2020 and all census thereafter, and
The States pledge to conduct a legal census in compliance with the Constitution which formed the North American Union, asking such questions as the several States shall decide to be appropriate for their own purposes, and
The States shall withhold annually from the general government's tax general levies an amount adequate for the purpose of conducting such legal census.
What a delight that would be:
1. The States would be standing up for the Constitutional rights of their citizens
2. The general government would be slapped down by the only ones capable of doing so
3. The States would exercise their right to resist illegal acts by the general government and
4. The precedent would be set that the States could control the general levies (Income Tax) to the extent that they believe the general government has violated the Constitution.
And if you didn't like how a State treated you, you could move to a better State, at your preference.
The Colorado State Petition is here.
Feel free to create one for your own State!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Friday, July 16, 2010
Baseball Umpires
07/16/2010, Rockies vs. Cincinnati Reds. Top of the ninth, Batter hit by a pitch (not called) and two obvious balls called strikes. Seriously, they were inside by a good foot.
Umpires in professional baseball are either incompetent, or they are on the take.
Choose your poison...
And I hate when the officials decide the game with bad calls, either way.
Umpires in professional baseball are either incompetent, or they are on the take.
Choose your poison...
And I hate when the officials decide the game with bad calls, either way.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Apple's App Store
Maybe I'm being too sensitive, but can someone explain to me why I am badgered by Apple's App Store to validate my credit card number and validation code so I can download a FREE APP?
The aggravation factor of owning Apple hardware is making me rethink the total monetary and non-monetary cost of ownership.
The aggravation factor of owning Apple hardware is making me rethink the total monetary and non-monetary cost of ownership.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Knowledge
Epistemology is the philosophical study of knowledge, and although I will not wax philosophical here today, it is interesting to read what Wikipedia has to say on this subject. One important aspect of knowledge is "how do we know what we think we know?".
As simple as knowledge might seem, it's not simple. There are numerous ways of obtaining knowledge, some of which are more reliable than others while some sources are outright propaganda intended to deceive with false information. And there can be false knowledge, even self deception. People also tend to become invested in what they think they know to the point where contradictory information is routinely disregarded because they already "know" the truth. Mass delusions are common in human history and these delusions are the foundation of despotic rulers, empires, cults and a host of evils throughout history; all perpetrated by people with knowledge of the truth and accepted by the masses who believed the lie.
Give some thought to what you "know" and be willing to debate it, to listen to contradictory evidence, and if you can't defend what you "know", find out how to do so or change your mind and accept the truth no matter how heavily invested you are in the alternative.
As simple as knowledge might seem, it's not simple. There are numerous ways of obtaining knowledge, some of which are more reliable than others while some sources are outright propaganda intended to deceive with false information. And there can be false knowledge, even self deception. People also tend to become invested in what they think they know to the point where contradictory information is routinely disregarded because they already "know" the truth. Mass delusions are common in human history and these delusions are the foundation of despotic rulers, empires, cults and a host of evils throughout history; all perpetrated by people with knowledge of the truth and accepted by the masses who believed the lie.
Give some thought to what you "know" and be willing to debate it, to listen to contradictory evidence, and if you can't defend what you "know", find out how to do so or change your mind and accept the truth no matter how heavily invested you are in the alternative.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Wealth
I have said before that wealth is not money. The wealth of a nation is the goods available for consumption, and it is the producer of goods that creates wealth; government creates nothing good. Consumption is necessary, but it always destroys wealth. Savers on the other hand are a great blessing to any nation because they do not consume all that they could, and the goods they save are available for someone like an entrepreneur to borrow, allowing him to develop new or improved lines of production. The result of saving is an increase in goods and in prosperity. When any nation produces more than it consumes, its prosperity increases. Why is this simple truth so difficult for the pinheads in control of the economies of this world to understand?
When the glorious leaders hand out counterfeit money to encourage consumption, they encourage the destruction of wealth and an increase in poverty. When savings are squandered, there are fewer saved goods for the entrepreneur to borrow, and production declines. The enemies of real wealth and prosperity disguise themselves as our saviors and benefactors, but they are like an all consuming fire devouring the future for the sake of pleasure today.
Look to the ant you sluggard! Save, and prepare for the winter ahead, and when winter is over your savings will be a blessing to the nation.
When the glorious leaders hand out counterfeit money to encourage consumption, they encourage the destruction of wealth and an increase in poverty. When savings are squandered, there are fewer saved goods for the entrepreneur to borrow, and production declines. The enemies of real wealth and prosperity disguise themselves as our saviors and benefactors, but they are like an all consuming fire devouring the future for the sake of pleasure today.
Look to the ant you sluggard! Save, and prepare for the winter ahead, and when winter is over your savings will be a blessing to the nation.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Don't ask about don't ask don't tell.
This is a non-issue. The real question is "Should we have a standing army?"
George Washington said no. http://gwpapers.virginia.edu/documents/revolution/banister.html
Thomas Jefferson said no. http://etext.virginia.edu/jefferson/quotations/jeff1480.htm
Whether it's an army of men, women, heterosexuals, homosexuals or eunuchs is irrelevant. When they invade your home, you won't care.
George Washington said no. http://gwpapers.virginia.edu/documents/revolution/banister.html
Thomas Jefferson said no. http://etext.virginia.edu/jefferson/quotations/jeff1480.htm
Whether it's an army of men, women, heterosexuals, homosexuals or eunuchs is irrelevant. When they invade your home, you won't care.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
The Christian and Taxes
First, let’s define our terms. Taxation is defined as a charge usually of money imposed by authority on persons or property for public purposes. (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary). Since the State is the single public organization that has a monopoly on taxation, the authority spoken of in this definition must be the State. But what is this thing called money that is demanded by the State for their exclusive use? Webster says money is: something generally accepted as a medium of exchange, a measure of value, or a means of payment. (ibid.) Money is a medium of exchange which is legitimately obtained only when we exchange it for something of value that we rightfully own, such as our labor (undeniably our property) or some other real property that is rightfully ours. In free commerce, each individual decides according to his own preference whether to exchange his property for money or vice versa. If both parties in the exchange agree, then the exchange takes place and both are better off since, by definition, both value what they have received more than what they have paid. In taxation however, the individual need not value what he receives as his property is confiscated for taxes because the State has a geographical monopoly on taxation, power and justice. So taxes are not usually paid because the taxpayer values what he receives in return for turning over his possessions, but are usually paid for protection from the power of the State, or more accurately to avoid the unsavory results of not paying. Because taxation is legalized by the State it is best described as legalized theft by force. So what does the Bible say about this kind of taxation? There are several passages in the Bible which mention taxes and the governing authorities. Let’s take a look at a few of them.
In Mat 17:24-27 (NASB) we read of Jesus’ teaching on the subject of taxation:
(24) When they came to Capernaum, those who collected the two-drachma tax came to Peter and said, "Does your teacher not pay the two-drachma tax?"
(25) He *said, "Yes." And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?"
(26) When Peter said, "From strangers," Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are exempt.
(27) "However, so that we do not offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for you and Me."
The two-drachma tax mentioned in this passage was not a Roman tax; it was a Temple tax and was voluntary, as all taxes should be. Jesus paid the tax by a miracle that only God could perform, but not without a comment that the Son of God should be exempt from taxes paid for The Father’s Temple. Nevertheless, this passage says nothing about a coercive tax by the State.
A second passage often cited is Mat 22:15-22: (NASB)
(15) Then the Pharisees went and plotted together how they might trap Him in what He said.
(16) And they *sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any.
(17) "Tell us then, what do You think? Is it lawful to give a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?"
(18) But Jesus perceived their malice, and said, "Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites?
(19) "Show Me the coin used for the poll-tax." And they brought Him a denarius.
(20) And He *said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?"
(21) They *said to Him, "Caesar's." Then He *said to them, "Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's."
(22) And hearing this, they were amazed, and leaving Him, they went away.
Of course the Pharisees and Herodians were trying to force Jesus to say yes or no to their question of whether to pay the Roman tax, but he confounded them by saying neither. He noted that the coin used to pay the tax had the inscription and likeness of Caesar on it, but did not say that therefore all such coins belonged to Caesar and should be given to him. He also did not say that they must pay this particular coin to Caesar, but that they should “render” or deliver it to him if it belonged to him. Again, this passage is not an endorsement of coercive taxation by the State nor is it a requirement under God’s Law that such taxation be scrupulously adhered to in the same way that our tithe to God should be.
So what should be our attitude toward the legalized theft of the State called taxation?
Rom 13:1-7 (NASB) says:
(1) Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.
(2) Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.
(3) For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same;
(4) for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.
(5) Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake.
(6) For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing.
(7) Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.
According to this passage, we should voluntarily pay taxes to governing authorities who bring wrath upon those who practice evil (such as theft and aggression against others), and who are servants of God. Judge for yourself whether the state in which you live conforms to this description. But what if the State is Godless? What if the State practices stealing from one person and giving the spoils to another? What if it adheres to the absolutely wicked plan of universal plunder for universal benefit, with the State as the only real beneficiary? And what should the sons of God do when their goods are taken by force and used for things that God has forbidden? This passage certainly does not give carte blanche to the State to collect any tax unless it is to be used according to God’s precepts.
So what should a child of God do about taxes, according to the Bible?
1Pe 2:13-20 (NASB) says:
(13) Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority,
(14) or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.
(15) For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.
(16) Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.
(17) Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.
(18) Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable.
(19) For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly.
(20) For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.
To a certain extent, we are called to endure, but not to participate in, the evils of this world where it is possible to do so. Our Savior suffered for us and He promised us that we would also suffer, but there must be a limit to the evil that we are called to endure. The Jews resisted Pharaoh, Joshua fought to remove the evil men from the Promised Land, Gideon resisted the Midianites, David resisted Saul, etc. All of these were human institutions, authorities ordained by God. We are called to suffer, but we are also called to stop injustice both for our own sakes and for the sake of those who will inherit the horror of the Leviathan State apparatus that we have allowed to take form. Shall we wait until we are not just sheared like sheep but also slaughtered and our life blood devoured by that which claims to be our benefactor? As Thomas Jefferson wrote:
Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. – Declaration of Independence.
This is not scripture, but was written by a wise man who also claimed Christ as savior. And I believe that Mr. Jefferson was correct on this point. In my opinion, and based upon what our Lord taught and what is also recorded elsewhere in scripture, Christians should pay the protection money called tax to the State while its evil is bearable, always acting to limit that evil through works of Christian love and charity. But we have a duty to resist any State when it becomes an abomination to God and to us, the people whose consent the State must have to exist. When we are reduced to spiritual and material poverty and surrounded by evil works on every side because of the State, may God help us to withhold that consent.
In Mat 17:24-27 (NASB) we read of Jesus’ teaching on the subject of taxation:
(24) When they came to Capernaum, those who collected the two-drachma tax came to Peter and said, "Does your teacher not pay the two-drachma tax?"
(25) He *said, "Yes." And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?"
(26) When Peter said, "From strangers," Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are exempt.
(27) "However, so that we do not offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for you and Me."
The two-drachma tax mentioned in this passage was not a Roman tax; it was a Temple tax and was voluntary, as all taxes should be. Jesus paid the tax by a miracle that only God could perform, but not without a comment that the Son of God should be exempt from taxes paid for The Father’s Temple. Nevertheless, this passage says nothing about a coercive tax by the State.
A second passage often cited is Mat 22:15-22: (NASB)
(15) Then the Pharisees went and plotted together how they might trap Him in what He said.
(16) And they *sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any.
(17) "Tell us then, what do You think? Is it lawful to give a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?"
(18) But Jesus perceived their malice, and said, "Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites?
(19) "Show Me the coin used for the poll-tax." And they brought Him a denarius.
(20) And He *said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?"
(21) They *said to Him, "Caesar's." Then He *said to them, "Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's."
(22) And hearing this, they were amazed, and leaving Him, they went away.
Of course the Pharisees and Herodians were trying to force Jesus to say yes or no to their question of whether to pay the Roman tax, but he confounded them by saying neither. He noted that the coin used to pay the tax had the inscription and likeness of Caesar on it, but did not say that therefore all such coins belonged to Caesar and should be given to him. He also did not say that they must pay this particular coin to Caesar, but that they should “render” or deliver it to him if it belonged to him. Again, this passage is not an endorsement of coercive taxation by the State nor is it a requirement under God’s Law that such taxation be scrupulously adhered to in the same way that our tithe to God should be.
So what should be our attitude toward the legalized theft of the State called taxation?
Rom 13:1-7 (NASB) says:
(1) Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.
(2) Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.
(3) For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same;
(4) for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.
(5) Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake.
(6) For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing.
(7) Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.
According to this passage, we should voluntarily pay taxes to governing authorities who bring wrath upon those who practice evil (such as theft and aggression against others), and who are servants of God. Judge for yourself whether the state in which you live conforms to this description. But what if the State is Godless? What if the State practices stealing from one person and giving the spoils to another? What if it adheres to the absolutely wicked plan of universal plunder for universal benefit, with the State as the only real beneficiary? And what should the sons of God do when their goods are taken by force and used for things that God has forbidden? This passage certainly does not give carte blanche to the State to collect any tax unless it is to be used according to God’s precepts.
So what should a child of God do about taxes, according to the Bible?
1Pe 2:13-20 (NASB) says:
(13) Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority,
(14) or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.
(15) For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.
(16) Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.
(17) Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.
(18) Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable.
(19) For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly.
(20) For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.
To a certain extent, we are called to endure, but not to participate in, the evils of this world where it is possible to do so. Our Savior suffered for us and He promised us that we would also suffer, but there must be a limit to the evil that we are called to endure. The Jews resisted Pharaoh, Joshua fought to remove the evil men from the Promised Land, Gideon resisted the Midianites, David resisted Saul, etc. All of these were human institutions, authorities ordained by God. We are called to suffer, but we are also called to stop injustice both for our own sakes and for the sake of those who will inherit the horror of the Leviathan State apparatus that we have allowed to take form. Shall we wait until we are not just sheared like sheep but also slaughtered and our life blood devoured by that which claims to be our benefactor? As Thomas Jefferson wrote:
Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. – Declaration of Independence.
This is not scripture, but was written by a wise man who also claimed Christ as savior. And I believe that Mr. Jefferson was correct on this point. In my opinion, and based upon what our Lord taught and what is also recorded elsewhere in scripture, Christians should pay the protection money called tax to the State while its evil is bearable, always acting to limit that evil through works of Christian love and charity. But we have a duty to resist any State when it becomes an abomination to God and to us, the people whose consent the State must have to exist. When we are reduced to spiritual and material poverty and surrounded by evil works on every side because of the State, may God help us to withhold that consent.
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