Taxation without representation

[Stiles/Akin]

Lets take an off the wall idea using two characters from Civil War history. Lets pretend that John Brown lived up North and John W, "Jack" Hinson Hinson living in Tennessee both chose a more peaceful response to their grievances. Lets say there was an slight income tax system in place and both John's paid property taxes. Now John Brown of course was an abolitionist and he protested slavery. John Hinson was a plantation owner who had issues with Federal soldiers killing his sons. So we have two individuals who had grievances with the government. Instead of reacting the way they did, lets say they decided as individuals they would protest by not paying any more taxes. Lets also say they had evidence to back up their claims. Lets say John Brown had documents that proved Congress and some if not all were engaged in slavery. As well as with John Hinson had a secret government correspondence that stated Federal troops conspiring to kill his sons with orders from as high up political officials in the government at the time.

So the two Johns, being peaceful and law abiding, decide we are not going to pay anymore taxes supporting the government and stating the violations of Constitutional law or whatever laws that were broken in regard to their grievance. Subsequently the first IRS is created and revenue agents come to visit the two John's and they are arrested and put in the same prison.

The John's get their day in court. They have their documents ready and are prepared to argue their case. So my question is does the two John's have a case? If the documents they had proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that government corruption is involved, could they through a vote of no confidence say that they are being taxed without representation? If your representation was proved to be corrupt and in violation of Constitutional law? If the taxes were being used to fund slavery or military activity involving illicit criminal motives?

 

[Allie]

This strongly smells like a mask for a modern politics thread - since your what if is a long way off from any situation having anything to do with the Civil War. In any case, no, if you voted for your corrupt government, you have been represented, regardless of how corrupt the people you voted for turned out to be. Next (legal) step is to take action within the law to recall them, not to break the law by refusing to pay taxes. Civil Disobedience is another issue - while it may or may not be morally justified, by definition it's not legally justified, and the point is being willing to break the law and take the consequences.

 

[thomas aagaard]

This strongly smells like a mask for a modern politics thread - since your what if is a long way off from any situation having anything to do with the Civil War. In any case, no, if you voted for your corrupt government, you have been represented, regardless of how corrupt the people you voted for turned out to be. Next (legal) step is to take action within the law to recall them, not to break the law by refusing to pay taxes. Civil Disobedience is another issue - while it may or may not be morally justified, by definition it's not legally justified, and the point is being willing to break the law and take the consequences.

Fully agree with the first. This smells of modern politics and Emails belonging to a certain woman...

I think the 1st amendment can be used, and is used as a defense for (peaceful) Civil Disobedience?

 

[Schwallanscher]

This strongly smells like a mask for a modern politics thread - since your what if is a long way off from any situation having anything to do with the Civil War.

it does - bigly !!

 

[Stiles/Akin]

I removed the email comment.

 

[Carronade]

"Lets say John Brown had documents that proved Congress and some if not all were engaged in slavery."

Slavery was legal, and many Congressmen or Senators from slave states owned slaves; we don't need any mystery documents from Brown to prove something that was both lawful and public knowledge.

As for Hinson, if he or anyone else has evidence that government officials have committed crimes, that's a cause for action against those individuals, not the government or the United States as a whole. Lots of federal officials have been investigated, charged, and when appropriate convicted of crimes.