Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Tax Day Protest

Yet another Tax Day protest at some of our local post offices. Rather embarrasing for a libertarian as the Tax Day protests have traditionally been a libertarian endeavor. Still, as I've said before, good to see some on the Left realizing it might be better if they kept more money in their pockets to spend on what they want their money spent on.

But, that wasn't really the cause behind yesterday's events, at least from what we read in the papers. Seems the leaders of the event aren't concerned so much with taxes, they just want the money government takes from them used for different purposes.

Oh well. I suppose that's progress in some sort of way. Perhaps some common ground being reached.
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Interesting that their penny poll in Arcata last year showed people's top three spending priorities to be Education, Environment and Housing- none of which are within the purview of the federal government according to the United States Constitution.

National Defense (not Offense) is a constitutional function of the federal government. Arcatans wanted only 2.9% of their tax dollars to go to the Military. Seems to be a disconnect there, but I don't think it fair to expect most people to consider the Constitution when taking a penny poll.

20 Comments:

At 9:10 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Get a grip H. Thats not Arkley - quit obsessing again.

So - I read that Heraldo's blog is a front for Humboldt Watershed Council and is it's PAC blog running under false colors ala Salzman in order to further influence Humboldt County citizens.

What do you think Fred?

 
At 9:40 AM, Blogger Fred Mangels said...

A bit off topic for this thread but, I don't know.

I'm not like some that go around guessing who's behind some blog and what their agenda is. All one can do is guess about things like that. I don't bother.

 
At 12:20 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Gee Fred, now you're a constitutional scholar? What expertise exactly do you have that makes your constitutional interpretion more valid than that of the homeless guy outside the rescue mission?

Oh, so you graduated high school, know how to read, and that's sufficient? Maybe it is for Pat Roberts, Jimmy Swaggert and Bob Jones and other fundamentalists. But the other 99% of Americans would say you don't have a clue what you're writing about.

 
At 2:07 PM, Blogger Fred Mangels said...

Ok, 12:20; You seem to be the expert.

Show us where the Constitution, which basically outlined how the federal government was to be organized and operated, includes education, environment and housing as things the federal government should be involved in.

You don't need to find anything regarding the environment since there wasn't any environmental "awareness" as we know it today back then.

We did educate kids and live in houses, though, so certainly the framers must have included some accomodation for making education and housing subject to federal oversight, didn't they?

And don't throw out that promote the general welfare clause. That wasn't meant in reference to the federal government taking over responsibility for everything.

If you can't find anything in the Constitution regarding education and housing, try reading the Federalist Papers.

Jay, Hamilton and Madison wrote those papers while arguing the case for a centralized federal government, as opposed to a loose organization of states along the way they were set up under the Articles of Confederation, as I believe Jefferson was in favor of.

If you can't find a copy of the Federalist Papers, I'll loan you mine. No, I didn't read all of them, maybe only a quarter to two thirds of them. Hard reading for me.

I don't think Hamilton, Jay and Madison were very good writers, if only they'd write ten paragraphs where three or four would of sufficed.

In fairness to them, I suppose a lot of that is in hindsight- me looking at things now which they were unable to do.

 
At 2:15 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

How about this?

"...of, by and for the people."




Oh, and do you think you could learn how to underline things using actual html? It's pretty easy. When you're composing your blog post, all you have to do is go to the edit html function, find the word you want to underline and surround it with "u" tags. I know, it should be easier, and I'm hoping that the new version of Blogger will just have a button for it, ala Bold.

Or maybe just use Bold. That one's easier.

 
At 2:43 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

"...of, by and for the people."
Looks like the punctuation police has at least read the Gettysburg Address. The Constitution was probably more than she could handle.

 
At 4:40 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Fred you really do have shit for brains.

 
At 5:29 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Why is it the left always treated like the tax and spenders? It seems to be repeated enough that some people think it's true, like liberal media or WMD's. If Democrats are the tax and spend party then Republicans are the bomb and spend party.

 
At 6:48 PM, Blogger Joel Mielke said...

Note to the punctuation police:

Underlines are for links.

A bold button would be a disaster. Bold type is not just ugly, it is unnecessary and annoying, like all caps.

 
At 12:06 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

So Fred, you've proved my point.

You sit there by yourself in isolation and read some documents and conclude what someone 200 years ago intended from just that. And you say that's scholarship. Thats why you're not qualified to be a judge and especially a Supreme Court judge.

You have no understanding or appreciation for precedent and history and no knowledge of the facts in particular cases that have been decided and resulted in today's legal principles. You have no understanding of English Common Law and its effect on US jurisprudence.

Go and Bulls**t with Leo Sears and the other Constitution deniers like the Minutemen who claim an individual right to interpret the constitution and the folks who claim that US income tax is unconstitutional.

Basically, you're applying a fundamentalist Protestant philosophy to the question of constitutional interpretation. Fundamentist Protestants believe that everyone can read the bible and take a literal meaning of it as God's word. No other knowledge, skill, or ability is required. Well, that's not the way Americans as a whole have chosen to organize and govern themselves.

 
At 12:45 PM, Blogger Fred Mangels said...

Ooh. That hurts. You sure are educated.

 
At 2:54 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

hahahaa Fred you are too funny. You are ignorant, stupid and lazy. But you're proud of it! The 12:06 poster just ran circles around you old man, and you don't even know it! You are like some form of fundamentalist religious nut. You cannot back up your views with evidence, but instead insist on your own shitheaded righteousness for its own sake.

Stick around Fred, I need people like you on the blogoshpere. I need to be reminded that some people live in a self constructed fantasy world well into the older years of life.

 
At 6:58 PM, Blogger Fred Mangels said...

"The 12:06 poster just ran circles around you old man, and you don't even know it!".

Oh really? I hadn't noticed. Perhaps you're right. Didn't seem like he made much hard hitting commentary to me.

But, thanks for the heads up.

 
At 8:35 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

In fairness, Fred doesn't look very old to me and the poster who was speaking for 99% of voters is the one with shit for brains. 'Most People' and I don't have the Actual percentages right here in front of me from the latest NY Times poll-don't read much of anything and certainly from what I've seen don't even know what the Federalist Papers are!

How can you sit there and tell us how intelligent everybody is...when 'we the people'-huh not Fred and not me at least~voted for G.W.Bush? What crap.

Figure out how to block that blockhead-no that's too nice a handle.

I liked the penny poll-its time people put their own money where they say the govt. should put it. Nice demo.

 
At 10:24 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

More stupidity from the 8:35 peanut gallery. What does voting for Bush have to do with interpreting the constitution or being intelligent? I'll tell you; Absolutely Nothing.

Fred isn't qualified to be a judge but he's certainly qualified to be president. I wouldn't vote for Fred or Bush. But that doesn't mean I'm smart or stupid, its just my political opinion.

 
At 9:16 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

10:24 is welcome to his opinion...it used to be a Free Country before G.W.B. That's what I (8:35) was referring to. When the POTUS interprets the Constitution with the aid of his appointees-it seems we have less and less of those freedoms.

To me, sure-Fred would make a much better President. At least he reads and studies things like the Constitution and the Federalist Papers. Even though he admits to not making it all the way through those-he's made the effort.

I think the Prez. took a pass on too many of those classes to ever be a smart guy and do the right things.

By putting himself out there and taking crap off various nisundry anons at least Fred listens to his 'opposition' which btw 10:24, you would be Way back behind the ropes about 2 miles away if you slung yer BS towards G.W.B.!

If you don't like this blog go to some other reality and start your own. We like Fred.

 
At 2:11 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

We like Fred, 9:16? You got a mouse in your pocket, or what?

You're as bad as Bush. Your answer to ideas that disagree with yours is that THEY should go away and be censored. Gonna start up a little vigilante group too? Make sure that only people you like can participate in your version of democracy?

I hear there's a need for a new tyrant in Iraq. Being well qualified, you should definitely apply for the position.

 
At 8:16 AM, Blogger Carol said...

I think the penny poll was a great idea, even if it was a symbolic gesture.

 
At 3:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

2:11 is the Bully who only comes here to pick on people. I asked you to leave because you are rude and what you have said doesn't lead to intelligent conversation. Unless you think you're SO smart that answering yourself counts!

 
At 3:18 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

^ 2:11 is a jerkoff

 

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