The
President's Corner
Welcome to my little corner of Maryland's Eastern Shore, where I get to wax philosophic on topics of my choosing. This is where I can let off steam and say what's on my mind. My preference has been to work behind the scenes, but here's where I step out in front of the podium and lay it on the line. If we're not addressing something you believe we should, I'd love to hear from you at david.lovelady@republicancouncil.org
Legal Plunder
Plunder is taking the property that belongs to one person and giving it to someone else, usually by force.
If a person does that, it's a crime, punishable by law. If the government does that, using the force of law, it's not a crime, but it should be.
This is "legal plunder."
"But how is this legal plunder to be identified? Quite simply. See if the law takes from some persons what belongs to them, and gives it to other persons to whom it does not belong. See if the law benefits one citizen at the expense of another by doing what the citizen himself cannot do without committing a crime."
That statement was written in 1850 by Frederic Bastiat, a Frenchman concerned about the direction the French government was taking. His treatise on The Law can be found here.
He then said, "Men naturally rebel against the injustice of which they are victims. Thus, when plunder is organized by law for the profit of those who make the law, all the plundered classes try somehow to enter -- by peaceful or revolutionary means -- into the making of laws. According to their degree of enlightenment, these plundered classes may propose one of two entirely different purposes when they attempt to attain political power: Either they may wish to stop lawful plunder, or they may wish to share in it. Woe to the nation when this latter purpose prevails among the mass victims of lawful plunder when they, in turn, seize the power to make laws!"
What should we expect to happen in our nation when the majority of people are encouraged to take money and property from the minority? The latest data I could find (2004), tells us that, of 131 million income tax returns filed, 42.5 million had zero tax liability. An additional 15 million people were not required to file a return. So, if we assume (based on IRS statistics) that at least 40% of the returns are joint returns, they represent over 183 million adults, and those with zero tax liability are approximately 59.5 million. Added to the 15 million who do not file returns, we have 74.5 million adults who do not pay any income tax. That's over 40% who are not contributing to our treasury, yet they benefit from everyone else's forced (by law) donation, and they have the right to vote.
Is there any doubt where this path takes us?
The other term we're more accustomed to hearing in place of "Legal Plunder" is Socialism.
