tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5673441815180854503.post327448256759929999..comments2023-09-10T09:54:59.309+01:00Comments on Screwtape Files: Louis Cypherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07670126160101669248noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5673441815180854503.post-4260573144566689612013-03-25T04:27:06.246+00:002013-03-25T04:27:06.246+00:00@SugarLover - fully agree. In fact have recently b...@SugarLover - fully agree. In fact have recently been thinking what Australia would look like with income tax abolished. Disbanding the Tax Office alone would probably save billions. The people getting free money from the government tit might become disgruntled, but the economy would thrive -> in theory just keeping the GST component would fund everything else.<br /><br />If I ever get some political clout, minimalist govt is something I want to campaign as well. But it's a bit organism to fight.Warren Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00631403827559820571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5673441815180854503.post-63400939069959668072013-03-24T20:31:58.503+00:002013-03-24T20:31:58.503+00:00If I could be bothered I'd start a new politic...If I could be bothered I'd start a new political movement: absolute minimum government. Maybe law, defence, bit of oversight regulation of certain industries, and that would be it. Leave everything else to the people and business, and slash taxes to virtually nothing. Key decisions taken via online polls. Something like Cowperthwaite in Hong Kong I believe.<br /><br />Of course it would never win a vote at the moment, but maybe after the current pile collapses it would be attractive. Even then human nature would ensure it didn't last long before the cycle began again.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5673441815180854503.post-23740171207817916032013-03-24T12:19:35.727+00:002013-03-24T12:19:35.727+00:00One of martin Armstrong's insights was that th...One of martin Armstrong's insights was that this is inevitable. Somewhere on his site is a chart which shows the growth of the govt as an employer. One only has to look at the Post Office as an example of growth without profitability. They used to be profitable.Louis Cypherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07670126160101669248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5673441815180854503.post-81688939575539938252013-03-24T10:48:50.205+00:002013-03-24T10:48:50.205+00:00One of FOA's great insights was that politicia...One of FOA's great insights was that politicians are always a reflection of their society.<br /><br />All empires just get greedy and lazy and eventually collapse, it's human nature, something for nothing, repeated over and over through the ages.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5673441815180854503.post-634291430251261552013-03-23T23:24:32.610+00:002013-03-23T23:24:32.610+00:00By way of further comment, it is not accurate to s...By way of further comment, it is not accurate to state that excise, liquor, cigarette (read: tobacco) taxes at the federal level didn't exist before 1913. The Constitution certainly provided the power of Congress to " ... lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises ..." Federal inheritance taxes also existed, periodically, during the 19th century, usually to pay for war expenses. <br /><br />It is also misleading to include Property/Real Estate/etc. Tax, as this was a primary source of public revenue at the state and local level (and continues to be so) in the 19th century. Rosabarbahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06392549689358450122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5673441815180854503.post-52574600432911404182013-03-23T22:09:23.827+00:002013-03-23T22:09:23.827+00:00Did politicians, properly spelled, emerge from the...Did politicians, properly spelled, emerge from the ether 100 years ago (when the national debt was $2.9B, not zero, though a negligible percentage of GDP)? Politicians have been a constant since the founding of the republic, so whatever changed, it wasn't the sudden appearance of self-interested politicians. Examining the past (even an idealized past) for lesson applicable to the present should involve a little more rigor. <br /><br />The US wasn't tax-free or anything close before 1913 (though taxes as a percentage of GDP were certainly lower). The bulk of public revenue came from ad valorem rather than income taxes. <br /><br />Considering the heavy emphasis on this blog when it comes to gold/silver, it's odd the great bimetalism debates from the turn of the previous century get no mention. They were as political as political gets.Rosabarbahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06392549689358450122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5673441815180854503.post-58237744959172235842013-03-23T19:08:55.354+00:002013-03-23T19:08:55.354+00:00Pretty sure the UK has a similar list of protectio...Pretty sure the UK has a similar list of protection money demands plus of course VAT just for fun. <br /><br />In my view govt is for the most part an uninvited business partner that makes demands and threatens you with physical harm (jail) via it's agents (IRS etc) if you don't pay up. Not much different than Tony Soprano in it's essence.<br />Cyprus, Ireland etc. proves it.<br /><br />The point about taxes 100 years ago is well made but he actually missed a few if you include Insurance etc which by law you have to have.<br /><br /><br /> <br /> Louis Cypherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07670126160101669248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5673441815180854503.post-49085844414320357412013-03-23T08:27:35.050+00:002013-03-23T08:27:35.050+00:00Great stuff.
It would be nice to have a UK versio...Great stuff.<br /><br />It would be nice to have a UK version.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com