Just Because We Elect Them Now...
But we need language to remind us that this is our government, and that
we thrive because of the schools and transit systems and 10,000 other
services that exist only because we have joined together. Instead of
denouncing taxes, politicians would do better to appeal to the
patriotic corners of our hearts that warm to phrases like "we the
people." "Taxation" is a throwback to the time when kings picked our
pockets. "Paying my dues," a phrase popularized in the jazz music
world, is language by which we can stand together as Americans.
I am confused as to what the substantial difference is between 1 king picking our pockets and 535 kings picking our pockets. Just because I get the annual opportunity to cast a meaningless vote between the Coke and Pepsi party does not change my view of government.
To my mind, this is the #1 incorrect perception people have about the American Revolution. So many people, like this author, seem to think it was about voting and democracy. Bleh. The Revolution was about the relationship between human beings and government. Voting was merely one tool among many the founders adopted to try to protect man from government. Unfortunately, this intellectual battle is being lost.
JFK was the president that first made it clear that those of us who love freedom have been losing this battle. In his famous quote "ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country," JFK defined the heads-statists-win-tails-freedom-loses choice that people like Mr. Conniff continue to try to present us with. These collectivists define our relation to government as either the recipient of unearned loot or milch cow to the whims of the voters. Neither part of JFK's challenge represents a relation between man and government a freedom-loving person should accept.
More on why voting is not what makes our country great here.
