How do you deal with the thought about taxes

[madmadmax]

It's not that I'm a miser that likes papers with heads of dead presidents, I would gladly pay if I knew that the funds were flowing towards education, health care systems, bettering the infrastructure for the future generations or even supporting the weaker demographic, but it's not, all of that money goes to killing people, killing babies, making peoples lives miserable and generally supporting an Orwellian-totalitarian state while waging war across the globe to support the corporations, the greedy military industrial complex selling weapons to both sides through it's freelancers etc.

Do you think Bitcoin will change that? Will it put the governments on a diet?

[1715318759]

1715318759

[tutkarz]

people have to mature first. But maybe bitcoin will help us in that process.

[acoindr]

Do you think Bitcoin will change that? Will it put the governments on a diet?

Yes.

The system is all messed up because banks and government are in bed together. They scratch each other's back. Government ensures people use bank fiat money through legal tender laws, and banks ensure governments have plenty of money to grow on.

Meanwhile the little guy, ordinary people, just have to bend over and take it. What else can they do?

Bitcoin will change that because people can cut banks and governments out of the picture.

[marcus_of_augustus]

The system is all messed up because banks and government are in bed together. They scratch each other's back.

Ummm, it has gone well beyond to a level much more extreme than a little bit of mutual back-scratching ...

... I think there is biblical quote that has the correct metaphor, indicating it is not a new phenomena or an unforeseen outcome when kings worship and fornicate with mammon

One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits by many waters. 2 With her the kings of the earth committed adultery, and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.”

3 Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. 5 The name written on her forehead was a mystery:

babylon the great

the mother of prostitutes

and of the abominations of the earth.

6 I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.

When I saw her, I was greatly astonished. 7 Then the angel said to me: “Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast she rides, which has the seven heads and ten horns. 8 The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because it once was, now is not, and yet will come.

....

15 Then the angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages. 16 The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. 17 For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to hand over to the beast their royal authority, until God’s words are fulfilled. 18 The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”

Govt. beholden to the banksters, (bailing out criminality and corruption with taxes on the wealth of nations, succumbing to threats of destroying the financial system without more money for bonuses, etc, etc, ... the usurpations are now endless) is metaphorically equivalent to .... "kings of the Earth fornicating with the beast"

Enshrining in natural Law the separation of money and state (as we strive for with religion and state) is the only way to avoid such an outcome again ... in a future enlightened world.

[myrkul]

It's not that I'm a miser that likes papers with heads of dead presidents, I would gladly pay if I knew that the funds were flowing towards education, health care systems, bettering the infrastructure for the future generations or even supporting the weaker demographic, but it's not, all of that money goes to killing people, killing babies, making peoples lives miserable and generally supporting an Orwellian-totalitarian state while waging war across the globe to support the corporations, the greedy military industrial complex selling weapons to both sides through it's freelancers etc.

Do you think Bitcoin will change that? Will it put the governments on a diet?

I certainly hope so. It should help, at least.

[Wilikon]

It's not that I'm a miser that likes papers with heads of dead presidents, I would gladly pay if I knew that the funds were flowing towards education, health care systems, bettering the infrastructure for the future generations or even supporting the weaker demographic, but it's not, all of that money goes to killing people, killing babies, making peoples lives miserable and generally supporting an Orwellian-totalitarian state while waging war across the globe to support the corporations, the greedy military industrial complex selling weapons to both sides through it's freelancers etc.

Do you think Bitcoin will change that? Will it put the governments on a diet?

Make sure there is no one called Lois Lerner on the Bitcoin Tax Agency first.

[madmadmax]

15 Then the angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages. 16 The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. 17 For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to hand over to the beast their royal authority, until God’s words are fulfilled. 18 The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”

Govt. beholden to the banksters, (bailing out criminality and corruption with taxes on the wealth of nations, succumbing to threats of destroying the financial system without more money for bonuses, etc, etc, ... the usurpations are now endless) is metaphorically equivalent to .... "kings of the Earth fornicating with the beast"

Enshrining in natural Law the separation of money and state (as we strive for with religion and state) is the only way to avoid such an outcome again ... in a future enlightened world.

Whore Of Babylon should be synonymous with central banks.

[Elwar]

How do I deal with it?

I went from "screw you, you can't have it" (followed by threats)

to...I'll work within the system with other like minded people to get the laws changed (come to find out, a majority of Americans are big supporters of taxes)

to...time to work toward an alternative

[madmadmax]

How do I deal with it?

I went from "screw you, you can't have it" (followed by threats)

to...I'll work within the system with other like minded people to get the laws changed (come to find out, a majority of Americans are big supporters of taxes)

to...time to work toward an alternative

That's exactly the problem, most people are stupid.

I've actually heard from people that claim they want a program to educate parents on how to parent before they have children and make that mandatory, it's like if you want to enforce stupid, idiotic, moronic laws, do it out of your own salary.

If you have a family member who is so out of control that the police have to be on him 24/7 to watch over him so he doesn't acquire drugs or alcohol hire them privately, don't vote for a babysitting country.

[mmeijeri]

Meanwhile the little guy, ordinary people, just have to bend over and take it. What else can they do?

Governments are elected by the people, and government spending buys votes. A lot of people profit from the system, including many of the little guys. In essence, at least part of it is organised, legalised theft on a large scale. It's not just the government and the banks, large sections of the population are complicit. As Erik Voorhees puts it so nicely: democracy is the original 51% attack.

Will Bitcoin put an end to this? Almost certainly not. What it could do, is to make it more difficult for governments to collect income tax and especially to print money. They'll be able to make up for some of that through other taxes, but not all of it. So I think Bitcoin will help a bit, but only time will tell how much.

[Zaih]

Australia recently announced its budget for this year and I was quite pleased.

I guess you don't hear about a lot of other stuff.

To answer your question, I don't really feel much. I honestly don't mind doing so, I believe in having an obligation to paying your country in return for the high living standards we receive. At the end of the day, they can spend it on what they want.

[justusranvier]

Governments are elected by the people, and government spending buys votes. A lot of people profit from the system, including many of the little guys. In essence, at least part of it is organised, legalised theft on a large scale. It's not just the government and the banks, large sections of the population are complicit.

Government is the war of all against all that it pretends to be protecting us from.

[myrkul]

To answer your question, I don't really feel much. I honestly don't mind doing so, I believe in having an obligation to paying your country in return for the high living standards we receive. At the end of the day, they can spend it on what they want.

Easy enough for you to say, Australia's #13 in military expenditures. Most of your money actually goes to your country's upkeep. Most of ours goes to blowing up bridges (and then rebuilding them) on the other side of the planet, while our bridges rot out from underneath us. To say nothing of the human cost.

[ktttn]

I for one decided a few years back to experiment with opting out of the whole scheme. The idea of seeing human beings as walking dollar signs makes me ill. This has caused several things to happen. General bum type things, mostly- chronic homelessness, incredulous stares, that sort of thing. Freeganism prohibits me from ever touching or spending federal reserve notes, especially on the uselesa consumer goods you can get for free if you try. I cannot and will not pay taxes because I have no dollars, and no desire to feed the giant blind eating machine we call the state.

[myrkul]

Freeganism prohibits me from ever touching or spending federal reserve notes, especially on the uselesa consumer goods you can get for free if you try.

By that, I assume you mean the smartphone you're using right now? You didn't get that for free, you bought it with a pretty pebble.

[Ekaros]

To answer your question, I don't really feel much. I honestly don't mind doing so, I believe in having an obligation to paying your country in return for the high living standards we receive. At the end of the day, they can spend it on what they want.

Easy enough for you to say, Australia's #13 in military expenditures. Most of your money actually goes to your country's upkeep. Most of ours goes to blowing up bridges (and then rebuilding them) on the other side of the planet, while our bridges rot out from underneath us. To say nothing of the human cost.

I don't pay taxes... I'm net receiver...

Though I think they are somewhat acceptable for what we get for them.

The defence spending is around 6%, which isn't horrid considering we have around 1340km of border with Russia... Not that I believe we are in any way high priority target for them.

Not that I fully agree on spending money on saving Euro... And private bankers of Germany and France... That is a waste.

[myrkul]

To answer your question, I don't really feel much. I honestly don't mind doing so, I believe in having an obligation to paying your country in return for the high living standards we receive. At the end of the day, they can spend it on what they want.

Easy enough for you to say, Australia's #13 in military expenditures. Most of your money actually goes to your country's upkeep. Most of ours goes to blowing up bridges (and then rebuilding them) on the other side of the planet, while our bridges rot out from underneath us. To say nothing of the human cost.

I don't pay taxes... I'm net receiver...

Also known as a dependent slave. No wonder you're so pro-State.

[ktttn]

Freeganism prohibits me from ever touching or spending federal reserve notes, especially on the uselesa consumer goods you can get for free if you try.

By that, I assume you mean the smartphone you're using right now? You didn't get that for free, you bought it with a pretty pebble.

Citrine, if I remember correctly. The gift economy is a really neat idea.
It was less that I bought, and more like a gift, then I gifted the rock as a thank you.
The interesting thing about the gift economy is that it works on the principle of consent, satisfaction and reciprocity rather than the far less materially effective "gimmie or Ill shoot you unless you go to jail" tactics coupled with refund incentives currently used by the IRS.
ALSO, I admire you, that armed cat in yer picture, your writing style, dedication, and top tier bar none nextlevel trollskillz.

[myrkul]

Freeganism prohibits me from ever touching or spending federal reserve notes, especially on the uselesa consumer goods you can get for free if you try.

By that, I assume you mean the smartphone you're using right now? You didn't get that for free, you bought it with a pretty pebble.

Citrine, if I remember correctly. The gift economy is a really neat idea.
It was less that I bought, and more like a gift, then I gifted the rock as a thank you.

You say poe-tay-toe, I say poe-tah-toe.

The interesting thing about the gift economy is that it works on the principle of consent, satisfaction and reciprocity

As does capitalism. Free trade.

[Mike Christ]

One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits by many waters. 2 With her the kings of the earth committed adultery, and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.”

3 Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. 5 The name written on her forehead was a mystery:

babylon the great

the mother of prostitutes

and of the abominations of the earth.

6 I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.

When I saw her, I was greatly astonished. 7 Then the angel said to me: “Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast she rides, which has the seven heads and ten horns. 8 The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because it once was, now is not, and yet will come.

....

15 Then the angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages. 16 The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. 17 For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to hand over to the beast their royal authority, until God’s words are fulfilled. 18 The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”

This is why I love Bible stories; they're so damn interesting!  The writers often tell them in such ways that makes you want to read more and then try to interpret the symbolic relationships of each character, that same way The Divine Comedy works, where it's commanding and straight-forward yet makes you scratch your head and wonder what they're really trying to say.

Anyway, yeah, taxes suck.  I will acknowledge no government which forces the people it services into paying for said services.  As far as I care, that's a mafia, not a respectable business.  I would gladly pay for protection if I could punish my protectors for not doing as I want them to do (of course, by refusing their service; I would then have the REAL power of voting, opposed to the rigged voting system of right now.)