Nomenclature

Numerous times in this blog and in my book, I have described the federal government as a "cancer" or a "tumor." The more I consider this metaphor, the more I believe it fitting and proper to cease using the term "federal government" completely, since the very phrase confers unwarranted legitimacy on the entity in question. What we are dealing with here is not a government as described in the Declaration Of Independence, and certainly not the government birthed by the Constitution and its subsequent amendments, but rather a malignancy that has grown far beyond its genetic blueprint and now serves only itself. In other words, America indeed sports a tumor that threatens to overwhelm and ultimately kill its host.

Henceforth I shall employ the word "Tumor" when referring to the entity formerly known as the federal government. I encourage you to adopt your own favorite word or phrase that describes this entity with greater accuracy than the popular terminology.

Uh Oh, Bobby's Angry

Robert B. Reich is the diminutive (literally and figuratively) former Secretary of Labor, and he is outraged that many Americans are keeping their money away from the voracious maw of the entity calling itself the federal government:

The new immigration bill may not make it through Congress, but that provision about paying taxes that are owed in order to be a citizen serves as a reminder that paying taxes is one of the major obligations of citizenship. After all, if we didn’t pay the taxes we owe, we wouldn’t have public schools, police and fire protection, national defense, homeland security, roads and bridges, Medicare and Social Security, and other things we need.

So when the super-rich use offshore tax havens to avoid paying what they owe in taxes, they’re reneging on their duties as citizens. It seems only fair to me that the consequence of that kind of tax avoidance ought to be loss of citizenship. If it’s more important to someone to avoid paying what they owe in taxes than to continue being an American, then let them keep their money. They can become a citizen of the Cayman Islands or Bermuda or wherever else they store their wealth, and come here on a visitor’s visa – if they can get one.

Notice how Bobby the bureaucrat conflates being a good American with supporting the federal government, a pernicious yet unspoken assumption that suffuses all mainstream discourse. On the upside, though, something noble and worthwhile must be going on here if Bobby is so upset. A moment of reflection reveals this intuitive insight to be intellectually sound, for it is the federal government that has reneged on its duties here, namely the ones spelled out in the Constitution that limit federal prerogatives to a precious few. Up until the lamentable presidency of Franklin Roosevelt, it was widely understood that the power of Congress to spend money tracks the humble, enumerated powers appearing in Article I, Section 8. James Madison himself – the “father of the Constitution” – issued his most famous veto message against a proposed bill devoted to “internal improvements,” since nothing in the Constitution authorizes that type of spending.

But the advent of FDR’s Social Security system tore this fundamental understanding to shreds, as seven yes-men in black robes took it upon themselves to amend the Constitution by holding that Congress’ power to spend floats freely from any cognizable restraints. Strangely, I cannot locate a regular online version of that dreadful decision (Helvering v. Davis, 301 U.S. 619 (1937)) containing Justice McReynolds' prophetic dissent, but rather I find only triumphal recitations of the main opinion. Ever since Helvering, federal spending and federal taxes have metastasized into a malignant cancer that is choking off our liberty and our prosperity.

Under these grave circumstances, tax resistance is most appropriate. Given that the federal government violates the supreme law of the land whenever it spends obscene amounts of money on unauthorized endeavors, it becomes perfectly justifiable to withhold our support from such outlaw activity. The rule of law binds both the government and the governed, so if the government flouts the law, then we the governed are relieved of our obligation to submit to government authority. If that sounds outrageous, Bobby, then pick up a copy of the Declaration Of Independence.

As for Bobby’s sanctimonious prattle about the glories of citizenship, the federal government has made it clear that citizenship comes pretty cheaply these days. When the corporate and political elite make it clear that they will not penalize illegal invaders just because these invaders (arguably) contribute to the economy, Bobby has no basis to scorn true citizens for wearing green eyeshades. I say that more of us should be sending our money to sanctuaries such as Bermuda and the Caymans, and we might want to consider seriously Bobby’s proposal of expatriation while our country descends into the abyss of tyranny and squalor.

Object Lesson

Anyone who doubts whether the Republic is beyond redemption need only tune into the "debates" of late among the presidential contenders. Platitudes and posturing replace reason in seconds-long outbursts, as befits a society now lacking any appreciable attention span. The few candidates who do manage to articulate a coherent thought -- such as Mr. Gravel and Mr. Paul -- receive almost no mention from the mainstream media, and what little mention they do receive amounts to scorn. I myself have criticized Ron Paul here for attempting to wear the shoes of the modern presidency, whose arbitrary power has ballooned beyond the worst nightmares of the Founding Fathers, but his latest outing does us the service of illustrating the utter depravity of those who claim to rule us. Here we see a real man speaking the truth about how the federal government's bloody excess incites worldwide anger and endangers our lives, only to have the media discuss whether thug Giuliani's riposte will play well with voters. Paul and his supporters, though harboring noble objectives, lend undeserved legitimacy to this mob. What will it take for liberty lovers to realize that America's survival stands entirely apart from the federal government, and in fact demands the latter's outright repudiation? Do not attempt to wear the Ring Of Power, but rather cast it into the pit so that it and its foul works may be destroyed.