November 9, 2013
Singapore
In 73 BC, the Thracian gladiator Spartacus led one of the biggest slave revolts in the history of the world in what became known as the Third Servile War.
By most accounts, there were over 100,000 slaves fighting against the Romans for their freedom.
This is a prodigious figure; by comparison, uprisings of just a few dozen slaves in the American south during the 19th century were considered shockingly large.
It took about two years, but a Roman army led by Marcus Licinius Crassus eventually put down the insurrection, then brutally crucified thousands of slaves to send a bone-chilling message of what would happen to anyone who crosses Rome. Or him.
Crassus is an interesting figure because, at the time, he was one of the wealthiest men in the world. So it’s quite ironic that a member of the ultra-rich was responsible for crushing an army of slaves fighting for their freedom.
We modern-day humans like to think that we are far more enlightened now; we can’t even begin to imagine a concept like slavery anymore.
And yet, it exists. People are born into bondage every day… many of them without even knowing it.
From the day we’re born, many people are considered citizens of the place of their birth. This is a legal principle known as ‘jus soli’, and it’s the prevalent standard in the western hemisphere.
In general, if you’re born in the United States, Canada, Brazil, etc., you are automatically a citizen.
It’s a complete accident when you think about it. Nobody has control over where he/she was born. It’s a total fluke.
Yet in some countries, citizenship carries lifelong obligations– for example, the requirement to serve in the military.
No one actually volunteers for this; they just happen to be born on a piece of dirt, as opposed to some other piece of dirt. Their particular piece of dirt comes with certain obligations.
In the Land of the Free, one of the obligations that people are saddled with from birth is the requirement to pay taxes on their worldwide income, no matter where they are in the world.
This concept is almost uniquely American. There are just a few places on the planet where taxation is based on citizenship, rather than residency.
In Italy, for example, you pay steep taxes on your income if you live in the country. But if you leave Italy, you don’t owe the Italian government taxes anymore.
It’s a sensible principle that follows the ‘take it or leave it’ approach. If you don’t like paying the taxes, then you can go live somewhere else.
But in the Land of the Free, the government doesn’t allow this.
If you’re a US citizen, the government insists on being your silent partner, taking its ‘fair share’ of your earnings no matter where you live or do business. And it’s nearly impossible to escape this yoke, even if you move away.
Let’s be frank. We’re born into a system where we’re forced to pay a substantial portion of our hard work under threat of violence and imprisonment, without almost any way around it.
This is nothing more than a sophisticated form of slavery. At a minimum it’s serfdom.
Not to mention, the money that we’re forced to pay goes to finance war, corruption, violence, graft, terrorism, and debt.
Like the Romans before them, this same government (which is ultimately run by a wealthy banking elite), will squash any hint of a revolt.
In the Land of the Free, they imprison people for failing to file disclosure forms. Even something as absurd as “attempted tax evasion” is a crime. And they routinely make examples out of people as a way of sending a message– ‘this is what will happen to you little people if you cross us.’
The only legitimate way out is for people to completely divorce themselves from the United States government and renounce their citizenship.
Given the steady digest of propaganda that most people receive throughout their lives, this move seems radical and fatalistic. And yet, it’s a rapidly growing trend.
In the government figures just released yesterday, 1,130 individuals renounced their US citizenship in the 3rd quarter, up from 254 in the 3rd quarter of 2012, and 161 in the 3rd quarter of 2009.
Driven to the point of disgust and desperation, more and more people are reaching their breaking points every day.
There are many who would view these renunciants as traitors– cowards who ‘cut and run’ from the country. (Of course, the Founding Fathers were viewed this way two centuries ago…)
But when you think about it, one of the major reasons the government continues to thrive is that they have over 300 million oxen to abuse.
The US is a wonderful place filled with potential. But it has been corrupted by an interminable cycle of debt, consumption, excess, deceit, and incompetence.
They reached the point of no return long ago. And frankly, the fewer oxen they have to abuse, the faster it will hasten their demise. Only then will the country be able to rebuild.
It’s certainly worth asking the question– what if they gave a tax and nobody came?
There’s more than one way to fight. Facing down an army of legionaries is one way. But, as radical as it may seem, divorcing oneself from the government is also another effective way to fight.
The more people walk away, the more it speeds up the collapse of the criminal elite in favor of a new renaissance.
Simon Black
