• It's wrong for someone to confiscate your money, give it to someone else, and call that "compassion." – Harry Browne

Taxation

Why We Couldn't Abolish Slavery Then and Can't Abolish Government Now

By Robert Higgs  
Sat, 12/12/2009 - 12:53am
Mon, 20/07/2009 - 1:00am

Slavery existed for thousands of years, in all sorts of societies and all parts of the world. To imagine human social life without it required an extraordinary effort. Yet, from time to time, eccentrics emerged to oppose it, most of them arguing that slavery is a moral monstrosity and therefore people should get rid of it. Such advocates generally elicited reactions that ranged from gentle amusement to harsh scorn and violent assault.

When people bothered to give reasons for opposing the proposed abolition, they advanced many different ideas. In the first column of the accompanying table, I list ten such ideas that I have encountered in my reading. At one time, countless people found one or more of these reasons an adequate ground on which to oppose the abolition of slavery.

Death Fuel

By Robert Higgs  
Sat, 12/12/2009 - 12:21am
Sat, 24/01/2009 - 12:00am

Mises Circle in Houston, 24 January 2009.

 

International Taxes?

By Ron Paul  
Mon, 07/12/2009 - 7:41pm
Wed, 07/03/2007 - 12:00am

April 15th is once again approaching and with it the necessity of filling out your tax return. It is a good time to reflect on the taxes you do pay – and especially on the taxes you may soon be forced to pay. Throughout the year you paid federal taxes through withholding, including Social Security payroll taxes. You also paid state income taxes, unless you’re fortunate enough to live in Texas or another state without an income tax. You paid local property taxes. You paid local sales taxes and numerous miscellaneous taxes on your vehicles and gasoline and so many other things. Like most people, you probably feel taxed to death by all these layers of taxes. Well, hold on to your wallets, because the United Nations once again has launched a plan to impose a whole new level of global taxes on us.