Day 28

A Kinetics Day is almost over. It wasn't that bad. 10 blood draws flew by just like that. Which is what I expected, actually. I have been looking forward to this day for a while now, because I knew it would go by quickly - too busy to really do anything - and because it means I only have two weeks left! I'm in the last third. And it cannot go by quickly enough.

I just watched an interesting documentary about the illegality of the IRS. It wasn't very good, very conspiracy theory-esque, but unfortunately, it got me thinking. I have thought for some time that the income tax is an extremely bad idea, because (a) it was unconstitutional before the 16th amendment and (b) it was unconstitutional because the federal government was never intended to have (or need) that much power.

Here's a little plan I thought up during government class almost a year ago. I was interested in ending what I still see as a highly unethical tendency towards violence in American foreign policy. I also wanted to reestablish a government that is afraid of its citizens, not the other way around. I looked it up after watching this documentary and despite being pretty idealistic, it still looks pretty good to me.


1. Establish national tax on imported oil.
2. Recycle this money into alternative energy research.
3. End US reliance on foreign oil.
4. End all overseas conflicts as quickly as possible.
5. Pull all troops back to America.
6. Cut military spending by 75%
7. End US reliance on military industrial complex.
8. Increase focus on defensive military.
9. Return 1/3 of former military spending as tax breaks incentives for acts of public welfare, nationally and internationally, to create strong private charity system.
10. Invest remaining 2/3 of former military spending back into economy to compensate for loss in military industrial complex sectors.
11. End all international free trade agreements.
12.. Close privately-owned federal reserve and assign management of American money to the treasury department.
13. Carefully decrease above economic stimulus, giving economy time to handle change.
14. Pay off national debt and lower taxes with former military spending.
15. As federal taxes decrease, move more currently federal expenses to state government.
16. Return election of national senators to state legislatures.
17. Abolish federal income tax.
18. Allow federal funding through tariffs and customs only & temporary income taxation on profits only (businesses, not personal wages) during crises to be approved by 2/3 majority in congress for 5 years.

Conclusion: An independent United States with a smaller federal government that is committed to international isolation and a populace that has economic incentives to privately promote general welfare, including internationally.

The argument that might be made is that doing this is giving the terrorists exactly what they want. That is completely true. While the methods of terrorists are completely immoral and discolor any ideas they propose, if American foreign policy really is destructive and immoral, as I believe it is, then the United States has a moral obligation to do exactly what the terrorists want, not because we have lost, but because it is right.

If we end our military presence elsewhere in the world and create a culture that allows and encourages private charity in Americans, anti-American proponents of terror tactics have no ground to stand on! Can the government really be blamed if a voluntary coalition of American citizens donate ten billion dollars to the preservation of Israel against its enemies? No.

While I do not like the idea of standing in the corner while injustices are being perpetuated around the globe, I know that Jimmy Carter, Colin Powell, and a pastor, traveling to North Korea, acting on behalf of a non-profit organization, not the government, went MUCH further toward convincing Kin Jong-Il to end social injustices in his country than the government ever has. The point is not that it is not our ethical responsibility to protect and defend the weak and helpless, but that it IS our responsibility to do just that! Not our government's responsibility. Ours, the citizens.

But of course this will never happen, because too many people have too much money hanging on global government, and too much power hangs in the balance. And I am left musing: if I live in a country that abuses its power to kill and destroy, what do I do? I'm thinking of the guy who asked Jesus whether he should pay taxes, and Jesus said to give to Caesar what is Caesar's. That's pretty remarkable when you think about how the Romans surely used the money the Jews gave them, to hurt many people, including the Jews. Those taxes would pay the soldiers who would tear the temple down. What do you do with that?