How does one go about creating an anti-statist? Make him pay taxes. I was amused to see the following post by one of my friends:
Back to the quote: No taxation without representation.
What does this mean? Loosely, the Colonists did not think it was fair to be taxed by the British Parliament without also having a say in what went on. This makes sense: If someone is going to rob you of your hard-earned money, then you should get something in return.
I don’t think it’s a fair trade. ~23% of every paycheck I make goes right to the government. That’s almost one-fourth. That’s several nice dinners. That’s auto insurance. That’s a chunk of my vacation savings. That’s a lot.
And what do I get in return? I get to check some boxes and hope that my piece of paper changes something.
I say fuck that.
Let it be known on this day, March 7, 2012, that I, azelfrath of azelfrath.wordpress.com, will willingly and knowingly give up my right to vote in all local, state, and federal governmental elections, under the condition that I no longer am forced to pay local, state, or federal taxes. This includes income tax, sales tax, those gift taxes that nobody pays anyway, stamps on letters, and anything else of the sort.
It’s nice holding a philosophical position where the state does all my work for me. I don’t have to perform any crazy mental gymnastics to convince people that taxation is theft, they usually figure it out when they realize only two choices are available to them: pay your taxes or get kidnapped, held in a cage, and have your property stolen from you.
To the state I only ask that you continue doing what you’re already doing because through those actions you’ll create your own worst enemies and bolster the cause of liberty.