Badnarik's VP is an Embarrassment!

[Fmr. Gov. NickG]

OK, according to the article:

Badnarik "believes that the federal income tax has no legal authority and that people are justified in refusing to file a tax return until such time as the IRS provides them with an explanation of its authority to collect the tax." Accordingly, he hasn't filed any federal tax return in many years.

Has Badnarik ever heard of the 16th Amendment?  
It sounds like this guy belongs in jail.  

[Fmr. Gov. NickG]

I oppose payroll taxes and sales taxes...but I still am perfectly willing to pay them.  Our tax policy is decided by the political process, and our society would collaspe if everyone just paid the taxes they wanted to pay.  Seriously, people who deliberately refuse to pay taxes should be imprisoned.

[Fmr. Gov. NickG]

I oppose payroll taxes and sales taxes...but I still am perfectly willing to pay them.  Our tax policy is decided by the political process, and our society would collaspe if everyone just paid the taxes they wanted to pay.  Seriously, people who deliberately refuse to pay taxes should be imprisoned.

Some government programs would collapse, but not society. If taxes--as opposed to user fees--are so great, why do they have to be compelled by the threat of imprisonment? If enough people were happy with government programs, they would pay for them voluntarily. Like many other posters on this board, I contribute to charitable causes, and would have a lot more to contribute in the absence of government inefficiencies and boondoggles.

Yes, society may in fact collapse if we don't pay for the upkeep of police, the military, and the roads.

People won't pay taxes because they want to get something for free and their individual marginal tax dollar won't degrade government services enough.
Why do people download free MP3s that they could also get by buying a CD...is it because they aren't satisfied with the music?  No, its just they would rather get the same thing for free than have to pay for it.

And how do you charge "user fees" for the military?

[Fmr. Gov. NickG]

Anywho, before judging Badnarik, how about you listen to him on the radio or go to an event he holds if you get the chance to do either. Hear him speak his views and you might be surprised.

I think I've already heard enough about him to know he's a criminal.

[Fmr. Gov. NickG]

It seems to me that libertarians fundamentally don't believe in democracy.
Why?  Because democracy means sometimes having to obey the will of the majority even when you don't agree with it.

This means not engaging in behavior that the majority has designated as a crime, like using drugs. This means following state safety regulations, like requiring a licence to drive.
This is means paying school taxes even when you don't have a kid in public schools.

In a democracy, we are not completely subject to the will of the majority...we have certain rights designated in the Constitution.  But beyond that, democracy means ceding some of our independence to the demands of society.  

Each person has a chance to change the majority's point of view, but if your own point of view loses, being in a democracy means accepting that and not just following the laws you agree with.

Judging from his part actions, it doesn't seem like Badnarik believes in democracy.

[Fmr. Gov. NickG]

Who says that we don't want to pay taxes... when we know what it's going to?

My city has voted for tax increases to help pay for our public school district multiple times.

Right...people are willing to vote for tax increases on themselves as long as they know that everyone will have to pay the tax.  But if each person individually got to decide whether to pay their own taxes or not, very few would choose to pay them.  It's just like the Prisoner's Dilemma.

Libertarians claim that it's unfair that a majority of people can vote to increase taxes on the whole population...if even one person doesn't want to pay the tax, he shouldn't have to pay it.   Yet occasionally being coerced by the majority is what democracy is all about.

[Fmr. Gov. NickG]

It seems to me that libertarians fundamentally don't believe in democracy. Why?  Because democracy means sometimes having to obey the will of the majority even when you don't agree with it.

1. I don't believe in democracy. Democracy is a horrible system prone to what some people like to call the "tyranny of the majority". The majority is often stupid, just remember that. The majority once thought it was alright to own slaves and they were indeed property, but I doubt you'd advocate locking up those who stole that property and let it go free, now would you?

The slave holding society of the early American was clearly not a democracy...only a very small percentage of our population could vote.  I doubt that we would have held on to slavery for long if every person in American were given an equal voice.

In many ways our current system is not very Democratic either....but it is clearly light years better than it once was.

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Then your party should have nominated someone who reflects your party membership, rather than someone who only obeys the law when he feels like it.

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I don't know enough about the details of the Patriot Act to know if it is constitutional or not.  By guess is that a number of provision are probably too broad and not closely enough related to vital state interests to pass constitutional muster, but this is to be sorted out by the courts.  I think most of the Patriot Act is unnecessary,  but I respect that those portions which are not struck down by the court are the legitimate product of a democratic society.

[Fmr. Gov. NickG]

OK, according to the article:

Badnarik "believes that the federal income tax has no legal authority and that people are justified in refusing to file a tax return until such time as the IRS provides them with an explanation of its authority to collect the tax." Accordingly, he hasn't filed any federal tax return in many years.

Actually this is correct.

It's correct that the government has no legal authority to tax incomes?  Then what does the 16th amendment do?

[Fmr. Gov. NickG]

OK, according to the article:

Badnarik "believes that the federal income tax has no legal authority and that people are justified in refusing to file a tax return until such time as the IRS provides them with an explanation of its authority to collect the tax." Accordingly, he hasn't filed any federal tax return in many years.

Actually this is correct.

It's correct that the government has no legal authority to tax incomes?  Then what does the 16th amendment do?

It's unconstitutional and should be repealed immediately. States were coerced into ratifying it.

A constitutional amendment by definition cannot be unconstitutional.  An amendment overrides whatever the constitution said previously.

[Fmr. Gov. NickG]

Oh, I certainly don't think we should just accept every law that is passed...but the way to counter unjust laws is through the political process, not by refusing to obey them.  I am voting for Kerry because I disagree with many of the laws that Bush has passed...but I can't just pretend those laws don't exist.
 
I have no problem with libertarians campaigning on the platform of "elect us, and we'll repeal the income tax."  I DO have a problem with simply refusing to pay the income tax because you disagree with it.  It sounds like most of the libertarians on this board agree with me on this, and pay their taxes.  But their presidential candidate apparently doesn't see any difference between legitimate political activity and criminal behavior.

[Fmr. Gov. NickG]

Oh, I certainly don't think we should just accept every law that is passed...but the way to counter unjust laws is through the political process, not by refusing to obey them.

So, the people who used civil disobedience in the Civil Rights movement were wrong?

People in the civil rights movement had no choice, because they couldn't vote!  

Obviously if you can't participate in the democratic process, you need to find other ways to broadcast your agenda.  I'm not opposed to the use of civil disobedience or even violence to fight dictatorships.