From: the novel savage (plarceny@semtex.iterror.org)
Date: Thu Oct 09 2003 - 05:30:35 PDT
I was thinking about something tonight... The history of our great country
(being the USA, sorry anyone else) Shortly after declaring our
independance, fighting the war, and achieving our independance, and then
forming our "more perfect union" there came a need to pay for all of it.
At the time the most acceptable way was sin taxes. Namely those on liquor
and other items.
At the time, many of the settlers ont he western frontiers were taking
thier crops and making whiskey. Because it was too difficult to transport
large amounts of grain cross country, and they could still make a decent
living selling booze. When these taxes went through, it prompted the
whiskey rebellion.
If you read up on it.. those that took part in the whiskey rebellion
formed a militia, and did thier best. Then George Washington himself
raised an army, and started marching on them. That was pretty much the end
of the whiskey rebellion for the time.
Ironically, no sooner did those who fought against "unfair taxation" and
the like had thier way, they turned around and acted in the same way as
thier "oppressors".
It strikes me that at some level there must be some form of government,
anarchistic societies that actually function well are small, and rare.
However, I find it somewhat astonishing that those put in a situation of
power often behave in a hypocritical manner the first opportunity they
get.
Altruism is a very rare quality, and possibly an impossible quality for
those who lead. In the end, men will serve thier own best interests and
damn everyone else. This is a compelling argument for the 2nd amendment,
for the cases when those whose primary interest should be serving the
public good, despite themselves.
-PL
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