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From: faustus@ucbcad.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Re: Socio-economic cancer
Message-ID: <15@ucbcad.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 12-Dec-84 14:36:37 EST
Article-I.D.: ucbcad.15
Posted: Wed Dec 12 14:36:37 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 15-Dec-84 02:44:20 EST
References: <739@oliven.UUCP> <7@ucbcad.UUCP> <257@ssc-vax.UUCP>
Organization: UC Berkeley CAD Group, Berkeley, CA
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> We managed to avert a revolution in the US for so long because the level
> of taxation was low for much of our history.  But in the 20th century
> the trend was and is upward:
> 			% of GNP
> 		Federal		All Govt.
> 1940		10.0 		-not available-
> 1950		16.1		24.5
> 1960		18.5		29.8
> 1970		20.5		33.9
> 1976		18.9		36.7
> 1984		25.1		-not available-
> 
> Decide what your personal tax revolt point is -- 50%, 60%, 90%, and
> figure out when those trends get there.

I guess that as always, people's foremost concern is their pocketbooks.
I think it's too bad that the biggest threat to domestic stability now 
seems to be high taxation, but that's human nature.  What you have to
ask yourself is what the best way to reduce taxes is.  Lately illegal
means of avoiding taxation have become very popular, such as quoting
the 5th amendment as justification for not filling out tax forms, mail-
order ordinations that let people claim religous exemptions, and in a few
cases violent resistance.  I would think that in America people could
find more reasonable ways to reduce taxation, like through political
action. Many of the proposals that libertarians have brought up (short of
disbanding the government entirely, of course) would certainly reduce 
taxes, and I hope that Reagan is able to push through his tax reform
programs in the next few years. Violent rebellion, though, is not the
answer.

	Wayne