By Ron Paul
The final act of the Democrat majority on the House Ways and Means Committee was to make public several years of Donald Trump’s tax returns, which the Committee obtained after a prolonged legal battle. The tax returns confirmed that, despite being one of the richest people in America, Donald Trump paid very little in federal income tax. In fact, in at least one year he paid under a thousand dollars. Trump’s success in minimizing his tax liability without ever being audited is surprising only to those who think IRS audits are mainly used to catch rich “tax cheats.” According to data released by the Syracuse University Transactional Records Clearinghouse, in 2022 lower-income taxpayers were five and half times more likely than millionaires and billionaires to be audited! This is because low-income taxpayers cannot afford to hire top-notch tax attorneys and accountants to help fight the IRS, so they are more likely to give in to the agency’s demands. Despite claims of the Biden Administration and its Congressional allies, the $80 million in additional funds provided to the agency as a part of the misnamed “Inflation Reduction Act” will likely increase the tax agency’s targeting of low- and middle-income Americans. Proponents of a flat tax or national sales tax argue that such a system would ensure millionaires and billionaires paid their “fair share” of taxes. Saying we must all pay our “fair share” of taxes assumes we have a moral obligation to the government that can only be fulfilled by turning over as much of our income as our so-called “public servants” demand. This is not the case. Individuals have a moral duty to support their families, and to support private charities if they wish. They do not have a moral duty to support the government. Tax reform proponents also complain that the current tax code contains too many loopholes that cause economic distortions and inefficiencies. It is true that the current tax system promotes inefficiency, but this is caused by the income tax itself, not the loopholes. Conversely, loopholes actually promote economic efficiency by giving taxpayers the ability to spend more of their money the way they prefer, rather than allowing politicians to spend it. As economist Thomas DiLorenzo put it, “private individuals always spend their own money more efficiently than government bureaucrats do.” Some have expressed concerns that the use of President Trump’s tax records as part of the Democrat and Deep State effort to discredit him sets a dangerous precedent that will lead to increased use of tax information as a political weapon. The sad fact is that ever since its creation, politicians have used the IRS as a tool for punishing political opponents. As an IRS agent told the head of conservative organization who was being audited after calling for the impeachment of then-President Bill Clinton, “What do you expect when you target the President?” The major problem with the income tax, and the reason it must be eliminated, not merely “reformed,” is that it is rooted in the idea that the government has first claim on our income. This idea is incompatible with a free society. Furthermore, the income tax must also be repealed because the force of the IRS, along with the fraud of the Federal Reserve, is one of the two foundations of the welfare-warfare state that erodes our liberty and prosperity. The only way to avoid 1984 is to repeal 1913.
Voluntary markets and civil society unite, while power and politics divide. The more power, the more politics, and the more division throughout society. Political power was designed, and meant to be, decentralized in America. Problems are always best solved locally. They also tend to remain local when a giant apparatus of compulsion can't impose itself on everyone. We Americans have a lot of re-thinking to do, if we really want to rid ourselves of all the unnecessary division.
After a night of hard talk and compromise, House Speaker aspirant Kevin McCarthy is hoping that the latest round of concessions to the rebels will finally push him over the finish line. What are the concessions and are any of them any good? We'll break them down in today's program. Also today: under the radar, big things are happening in Syria.
The increasingly bloody Speaker war in the US House means there are only Members-elect, no actual Members of the US House of Representatives. Far from gaining ground, it looks like one-time presumptive Speaker Kevin McCarthy is actually losing ground after failing on three votes. What's next? Also today: Latest Twitter Files shows social media was US spook playground.
As Republicans are reportedly bruising themselves up behind closed doors over who will be the next Speaker of the House, one thing is certain: today the Pelosi Era in Congress is over. What will be her legacy? Also today, did Trump's Chairman of the Joint Chiefs commit treason? Finally, what does the major Ukraine rocket strike on Russian forces mean for US security?  Tomorrow a (slim) Republican majority will take control of the US House of Representatives. Unknown is whether former Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) will get the needed 218 votes among the 222 House Republicans. What's at stake? Also today, will admitted liar George Santos end up being the most truthful Member of the House? Finally - most Americans want the FBI investigated. Will a Republican House be up to the task?  Journalists are supposed to inform the public. That is the job of what has been referred to as the Fourth Estate. They are supposed to expose the crimes of the state against the people. But something is very wrong with our mainstream media. Journalists and their institutions have upended their traditional roles and decided to side with the political power against the people. We are just beginning to see the ugly truth with the release of the Twitter Files, but more importantly in the mainstream media reaction to what should be the biggest story of the century: silence.   By Ron Paul
The prospects for peace, justice, and the advancement of liberty in 2023 may at first seem further away than ever. Washington’s determination to overthrow the Russian government via a proxy war in Ukraine has brought the threat of nuclear war closer than ever in history. The mainstream media is even “normalizing” the idea that a nuclear attack on the US is really no big deal. Yahoo News wrote yesterday that a “public health expert” is “concerned” that Americans are not sufficiently prepared for nuclear bombs hitting major US cities! The Yahoo article even links to a FEMA-authored “nuclear detonation planning guide” to help us better get through a barrage of nuclear missiles. Are they insane? They act as if a nuclear attack on the United States is just another inconvenience to plan for, like an ice storm or a hurricane. The FEMA guide’s advice on what to do during a nuclear attack is, “Get inside, stay inside, and stay tuned.” Stay tuned to what? Have they not seen the photos from Hiroshima or Nagasaki? While we are foolishly edging toward war, with the media and Beltway neocons cheering it on, there are still some bright spots we can look to in 2023. First, polls consistently demonstrate increasing American opposition to US involvement in Ukraine. Republicans are set to take control of the House this week right as Republican voter support for more military aid to Ukraine has seen a dramatic and steady decline. US households continue to struggle under runaway inflation and a looming economic crack-up and more Americans are going to demand answers from their government as to why we have sent more than $100 billion to Ukraine while so many are struggling at home. Second, a recent Rasmussen poll has revealed that in light of the “Twitter Files” - which showed that the FBI viewed the social media platform as a paid subsidiary of the US government - some 63 percent of likely US voters “believe Congress should investigate whether the FBI was involved in censoring information on social media sites.” A large percentage of those polled believe the FBI has been politicized by the current Administration, which may give incoming Republicans in the House some backbone to launch an actual investigation. Without the First Amendment, the other Amendments are virtually meaningless, and when the US government can strong-arm “private” businesses to attack free speech, freedom has no future. A third bright point is that the nearly twelve-year war on Syria might finally be closer to settlement. Syrian and Turkish defense ministers held negotiations brokered by Moscow which resulted in an agreement by Turkey to withdraw its military forces from Syrian soil. There are rumors that a meeting between the leaders of Turkey and Syria may come as soon as early this new year. The destruction of Syria was part of the Obama/Hillary/neocon plan to “remake” the Middle East, but as always these interventionist schemes have only resulted in death and destruction. Washington continues to lecture Russia about occupying Ukrainian soil, yet the US military has for years occupied Syrian territory for the sole purpose of backing extremists and stealing Syrian oil. Turkey leaving Syria will add pressure for the US to leave Syria. That is a good thing. The new year is upon us. It might be easy to feel dejected. But for we who promote peace, freedom, and justice, there is much to build on. Do not allow your voices to be silenced! |
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