The Scope, Size and Funding of Government

Any discussion about the funding for government must begin by asking a few questions; “What are we paying for?”, “What is the proper role of government?”, “Should the government take the power from the people by doing those things which the people can do for themselves?”.

The size and scope of our current incarnation of government has far surpassed its defined roles... at the federal level it has not just broken its chains... it completely disregards often with malice the confines set upon it in the Constitution. The State and local governments have followed suit and have pervasively intruded upon and violate our Natural Rights. Collectively government has outgrown its usefulness and perpetuates itself by continuing to encroach upon “duties” it should not and need not be involved in thereby demanding a perpetually increasing amount of taxation, fines, and fees... all due to its unfounded expansions.

Those who came before us knew very well and were vocal about the tyranny inherent in government and its proper role:

“If, from the more wretched parts of the old world, we look at those which are in an advanced stage of improvement, we still find the greedy hand of government thrusting itself into every corner and crevice of industry, and grasping the spoil of the multitude. Invention is continually exercised, to furnish new pretenses for revenues and taxation. It watches prosperity as its prey and permits none to escape without tribute.”
Thomas Paine, Rights of Man, 1791

“The multiplication of public offices, increase of expense beyond income, growth and entailment of a public debt, are indications soliciting the employment of the pruning knife.”
Thomas Jefferson, letter to Spencer Roane, March 9, 1821

“To take from one, because it is thought his own industry and that of his fathers has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association, the guarantee to everyone the free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it.”
Thomas Jefferson, letter to Joseph Milligan, April 6, 1816

“[A] wise and frugal government... shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government.”
Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1801

“There are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.”
James Madison, speech to the Virginia Ratifying Convention, June 16, 1788

“Show me that age and country where the rights and liberties of the people were placed on the sole chance of their rulers being good men without a consequent loss of liberty! I say that the loss of that dearest privilege has ever followed, with absolute certainty, every such mad attempt.” Patrick Henry, speech to the Virginia Ratifying Convention, June 5, 1788

When this confederation and then union was young those who served public office were not professional politicians. Their public work was very limited and they maintained their own work as their livelihood. This was achieved by having an extremely limited government in scope and size. To fund such a government is not a difficult thing to do. Originally accomplished through sales tax on specific items to tariffs which for a time was the only source of federal government funds. Early in our history some States had enacted a form of income tax... but it was only on income derived from property.

In the early years of our country there were very few taxes as the governments did not require much to do the limited jobs that were required of them. It wasn't until the early 1860's that the federal government even imposed an income tax to support the Civil War effort. After a few incarnations the short lived income tax was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1895.

It wasn't until the early 1900's that the bloating federal government in need of more funding would begin to look for ways around the Constitution and began a Corporate Excise tax that was in actuality a Corporate Income tax... ruled constitutional on the grounds that it was an excise tax for the privilege of doing business, the intellectual dishonesty and “games” had begun.

In 1913 the greatest affronts to the principles of Natural Law, utilized as the power behind the Declaration of Independence and protected within the Constitution, occurred as the 16^th amendment turned the original Constitutions limits on taxation upside down. Later that same year the birth of a slathering beast; the “Federal Reserve Bank” would to this day change the “need” for an income tax... as it is the primary source for paying the interest debt owed by the federal government to that private bank.

Along with these changes, the building of empire and an increasingly progressive, intrusive, and expansive agenda has caused the scope and thus size of government to grow far beyond its intended and needed use thus necessarily the need for government to feed has followed suit and is just as unfounded as the expansion itself.

With this in mind it is easy to see that we are paying for unfounded, unneeded, and often unconstitutional overreaches of governmental scope which the people and their private institutions have in the past held the power and ability to provide; a power that rightfully should be returned to the people.

We need not continue to feed this bloated, self important, and self-aggrandizing antagonist of individual natural rights that which it so vehemently demands. We should instead strip it of its overreaches; re-mandating its scope to a manageable size. Shut down all foreign bases (which are unconstitutional) returning our troops home. End: The Federal Reserve Bank; Foreign Aid and Intervention; All unconstitutional departments, legislation, and executive orders of the federal government; Corporate and Individual welfare; and All State departments and purview that violate our individual natural rights and steal power from the people. Programs such as Medicare and Social Security should be gradually ended paying back all monies paid in.

As the public work then needed would be significantly reduced... make nearly all governmental posts voluntary; without pay. For those jobs that might require more than a minimal dedication of time pay them only for days worked on an hourly basis not to exceed the average hourly pay of the people they serve or outsource those jobs when possible to private business.

With such a trimmed down government it would only require a lean diet to maintain easily provided for by lotteries, donations, and if needed specifically voted on sales taxes. This type of funding follows a non-aggressive path and allows the private individual to decide what they will or will not do with the fruit of their labor.

Perception, Reality, and Tyranny.

It has been said that "reality" is based in perception... just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder... so is "reality". The difficulty/devil is

 in the details. 

While digging through history books, congressional records, and the writings of wise people who have come before us... it becomes blatantly clear that our modern version of history; its events, condition of life, principles of human interaction, and governance are widely misunderstood. Of course there are grains of truth in what we are force fed that works to give it all some validity... and each person will view this "information" and form their idea of "reality" often around what fits their expectations and desires but we must realize... in the end there can't actually be a multitude of realities... only perceptions, and much of what is factual is often left behind. 

There is a factual reality... it is however obscured by misinformation, half truths, the spin of agendas, and the individual perception of those who digest it... belief once realized becomes a prison of the mind... it is unfortunately the catalyst for the perpetuation of obfuscation and spreads like a plague through the minds of individuals with similar perception.

Once... I was there and few spoke louder and spread a twisted perception more than I.  Yet... somehow I continued to become more and more unsettled as things just didn't add up. It is a mind wrenching and heart breaking experience to challenge ones own beliefs... yet I was compelled by my desire for knowledge and to understand why things are the way they are when nearly everything I had been taught didn't "jive" with our current condition. It is a journey many people are not willing to take and that is understandable... picking the lock on ones mind and getting past the comfort in denial are hard enough but the difficulty and pain associated with such an undertaking can be so great as to turn one from that path once the journey has begun... and attempt to rest again in the comfort of previously held belief... I know, because that is exactly what happened to me, yet that respite was brief because once the door of the mind is opened... there isn't any intellectually honest way to turn back. The "tickle" in my mind ate away at me as I attempted to live with my preconceived ideas while holding knowledge that more than challenged that belief... it shattered it... I had to move forward.

There is so much misinformation and literal "crap" out there that it is difficult to sift through it all, I had to find a way to separate the chaff from the grain; finally I decided that the "details" were the problem as so much of it is impossible to verify... thus I began at the beginning... and found a solid foundation to start from in the principles of Natural Law as that was the POWER behind the Declaration of Independence and IS the reason, if we realize it or not, that we recognize our Individual Natural Rights. Once I had that firm understanding I began to look at the current conflicts with it as those are easier to verify, I looked for the actions that precipitated those conflicts to find the "grain of truth" as it is easy for words to lie... actions are much more apt to lead in the direction of facts but in instances when that doesn't hold true... I have found it to be very important to look to motivating factors, but in the end, I often let those questions go as simply mysteries I cannot solve. 

To eyes willing to see... it is glaringly obvious that our country and indeed the world we live in is not congruent with Natural Law or with what we have been led to believe. To be honest... in my opinion the first is much more important; how we find ourselves in this position and the falsehoods we have been led to believe are not nearly as important as the condition of respect for our Natural Rights, a perception rooted in Natural Law, and a burning desire to correct the condition of how we experience and enjoy our inherent Natural Rights to Life and Liberty. The rest simply tends to get in the way and works with great effectiveness to keep us at each others throats and divided when it is vitally important for us to be united... to hell with our differences and beliefs rooted in perception... let us recognize that those are "personal" and thus should not be forced upon another... instead we should be united for ourselves and the good of mankind, just as those who came before and sacrificed so much, and demand that once again Natural Law be recognized and that our Individual Natural Rights be respected as "untouchable"; inherent and unalienable. Declare our Independence from Tyranny once again and as many times as we must. 

We need not live with the idea that we must choose between governments, countries, or varying degrees of tyranny... no... instead let us understand that our Individual Natural Rights are already ours... inherent... unalienable... and that no country... no government... no man or group of them... has the RIGHT to infringe upon them. When they do... it is a crime, not against some arbitrary "man-made" law, but against Natural Law, the God of nature, and an act of war against humanity.