Citizen Taxpayers vs. Library tax or Property Rights vs. Forced Redistribution August 19, 2014
Background: The concept of private individual property rights is a recent arrival in the timetables of human history, much less its official enactment in various degrees by governments around the world—specifically Western Civilization.
The concept finally caught fire in intellectual philosophers’ minds, mainly by the 16th century, to the extent that by the time our Founders were young pupils studying classical literature, languages & philosophies, the rarified ideas of individual rights were honored and struggling to be achieved in reality. The overwhelming significance was for the masses of people who had suffered nearly forever under the heavy hand of tyranny. Up until then it was unheard of that an individual had the right to keep the fruits of his labor and that no one had the right to take them by force of any means.
Our Founders gave us the first nation on earth based on such concepts as individual rights, freedoms, responsibilities and liberty. That an individual doesn’t owe his life to anyone else, nor did anyone else owe theirs to him.
So what happened?
Morph to today—look around at everything governmental (taxpayer funded)—opulence far beyond basic needs, if indeed real NEEDS even exist. Libraries, post offices, police & fire stations, city halls, convention/entertainment centers, schools/sports facilities, office buildings for myriads of agencies, ad infinitum, and all with well paid employees (salaries & perks) while most of the folks paying the bills struggle mightily in comparison.
Altruism is often used as the excuse for taxpayer abuse, e.g. pointing the government gun (laws, regulations, fines, imprisonment) at the heads of wage earners to steal what they want for their particular project, e.g. the illegal child invasions at our borders designed to financially & culturally break the backs of our middleclass and destroy sovereignty.
Altruism is an effective ancient concept generally preached by some religions. It was formally named by Auguste Compte in 1851. Its basic tenant is that one’s own life does not morally belong to the individual but rather to the collective/group/community/others and that serving their interests was superior to one’s own self-interest. It is an impractical, irrational, unlivable, destructive imperative which our Founders would have found reprehensible.
Perhaps the hardworking people of Fort Smith have grown weary of the ever-demanding, unending growth/funding of government entities when the voters recently voted against new onerous increases in taxes to fund the Library cabal’s “visions”. This time they didn’t fall for the “It’s For the Children”, or the perpetual knee-jerk “Giving Back to the Community” propaganda so prevalent today. (Btw, who paid for all that pro-tax advertising?) After all, there are those who still remember the proper & only roll for libraries….books to learn from, not every new technological advance & government program which exists today.
The Library puppet-show & Kabuki dance designed to make folks feel guilty for wanting to keep more of their earnings didn’t work this time and is usually a surefire tactic, and must make the politicians & bureaucrats shocked and angry at this unexpected rejection. They are in all probability already plotting new strategies to get their way…maybe by cutting services under the guise of underfunding to punish the upstarts?
The concept of “rugged individualism” is all but lost, “it takes a village” has won most battles but this one little victory against Forced Redistribution means the flame is not completely out, at least not yet.
~Barbara McCutchen arkansasfreedom.net