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RE: Perception changes Everything - Is Taxation really theft?
But then the question must be posed, who owns the government?
It could be argued that in a democracy and representative republic, the People do. The People (ie. certain amount of majority) defined the government and can change it.
So does that alter your conclusion to the People own everything and have chosen to allow for some semblance of individual ownership by proxy?
The creation of property laws, the abolishment of owning people, and the rules which govern fair trade, taxation for the good of the People and the maintenance of their government, have all been decided by the People (and could be changed by the People as well).
Nobody "owns" a government, just as nobody "owns" another person. Governments are simply groups of individuals - only they claim magical rights to do things that nobody else has any moral or legal right to do.
"The People" have no right to decide how individuals may act, so long as those individuals are not attempting to likewise restrict the actions of others. There is no right of "the People" to dictate behavior and there is no moral obligation for anyone to obey such edicts. The only obligation or right that anyone has in this regard is to refrain from initiating force against others and to defend oneself against such force. If they have not consented to be ruled, then they cannot rightfully be ruled, regardless of how many people claim otherwise.
The rich own the government, it just plays along with the people if that's the only thing that will stop a revolution
It is an easy thing to say. But how practical is that statement? If you earn a certain amount, do you get a letter, badge, or special number to call? Is there a secret handshake you must learn? Let's be practical. Many 'government' workers don't make that much money. I know many people rich and poor, common and extraordinary, yet all have the same single vote. Americans, both natural and naturalized, have the same rights and weight at the ballot box. Collectively, we determine who is in power, what laws will govern us, and for better or worse will determine our future. But it is tough to hold accountable the shortcomings of the entire nation and easier to point to a nebulous entity we call 'government' for the things we don't like.
If you are worth a certain amount, do you get to make laws? No. There are oversights, checks and balances, etc. Can everyday citizens create a law, no, but they can start the process just like anyone with the same potential outcome, a law.
The same is true to strike down a law and even a constitutional amendment. Prohibition started as a grass-roots effort by housewives, who didn't even yet have the right to vote. By the time Congress enacted the 18th amendment, 33 states already had enacted their own acts. It was then repealed several years later by voters who supported FDR for president. (part of his platform was the repeal of prohibition)
People do have power. For better or worse, our fate is in our own hands, since the American Revolution.
Don't believe me? Pick a law you don't like. Research to find out who signed it into law and how that person came to be in their position. Did people vote for them and they earned a majority? Look to see who in the House and Senate voted for the bill. Did people vote for them? Find the author of the bill and where the idea actually originated from. Why was the bill proposed and by whom? Were they an common citizen, was the bill intended to help people? Every law has a history. I cannot think of any single law which did not have the oversight of an elected official.
bribe congress look at the climate deniers iraq with military industrial complex
People in all walks of life and occupations can be swayed via bribes. We know this as voters. Perhaps it is up to us to better vet those whom we vote into power as our representatives. Ultimately we the People decide who are in the top local, state, and federal positions.
Ultimately the people who have no grasp of reality are deceived by the media which thrives on false facts and popularity more than information and then those voted into office can cast their vote whichever way they want in response to money which the public can not see and does not care about.
@anarchyhasnogods Poor choices by the People will likely result in a poor administration which will govern them. Who is at fault?
If we all vote to make all stoplights only red in color (no green or yellow), then who is to blame for the ensuing mess? The stoplight?
@anarchyasnogods
The rich also own Steemit and you are still here. not much difference
The rich own everything....... "you are still here" if the rich literally control everything why does me being in one rich controlled environment vs another a huge thing?
@mrosenquist
Nobody owns the goverment. The goverment is made of people. Me and you. The goverment is an abstract contract of some people. You are the dividend of that contract and you can no capitalisation to win over them.
And yet I vote them into office. I have a voice to determine the contents of that equation. Therefore I can impact what is known as 'government'.