“Americans cannot escape a certain responsibility for what is done in our name around the world. In a democracy, even one as corrupted as ours, ultimate authority rests with the people. We empower the government with our votes, finance it with our taxes, bolster it with our silent acquiescence. If we are passive in the face of America's official actions overseas, we in effect endorse them.” PeopleIfsWorldDoneGovernmentActionAmericaFacesCertainNamesResponsibilityDemocracyEffectsTaxesAuthorityVoteUltimateSilentFinanceAround The WorldOfficialsEmpoweringPassiveAcquiescence Book:The Eagle's Shadow: Why America Fascinates and Infuriates the World Source: The Eagle's Shadow: Why America Fascinates and Infuriates the World
“The physical power to get the money does not seem to me a test of the right to tax. Might does not make right even in taxation. To hold that what the use of official authority may get the state may keep, and that if it cannot get hold of a nonresident stockholder it may hold the company as hostage for him, is strange constitutional doctrine to me.” IfsMayDoeStatesUseSeemsMightCompanyStrangeTaxesAuthorityTestsDoctrineOfficialsTaxationHostage Author:Robert H. Jackson
“I had to go on TV with the president of the Catholic League, which is not an official organization at all, just a lot of Catholics, or maybe it's just this guy. He demanded to de-fund art completely and argued that taxpayers should not pay for it. I said people who represent the Catholic Church shouldn't talk about taxes.” PeopleShouldArtSaidGuyPresidentChurchPayTvsGoes OnTaxesOrganizationCatholicLeagueOfficialsFundThis GuyTaxpayersCatholic Church Author:Fran Lebowitz
“I did not worry about what a man or woman personally believed, but the nation's official religion should be outwardly practiced by all its citizens. A religion was a political statement. Being a Calvinist, a papist, a Presbyterian, an Anglican labeled a person's philosophy on education, taxes, poor relief, and other secular things. The nation needed an accepted position on such concerns. Hence the fines for not outwardly conforming to the national church.” MenShouldPersonsPhilosophyPoliticalNationsChurchPoorWorryPositionFineNeededCitizensTaxesConcernAcceptedStatementsOfficialsReliefSecularConformPresbyterians Book:Elizabeth I Source: Elizabeth I
“What James Madison and the other men of his generation had in mind when they wrote the First Amendment was that there should be no official relationship of any character between government and any church or many churches, and no levying of taxes for the support of any church, or many churches, or all churches, or any institution conducted by any of them.” MenShouldMindFirstsCharacterGovernmentChurchSupportGenerationsAtheismTaxesInstitutionsPositive AtheismOfficialsAmendmentsFirst AmendmentMadison Author:Sam Ervin
“Mao lived very much like the rank and file of the Red Army. After ten years of leadership of the Reds, after hundreds of confiscations of property of landlords, officials and tax collectors, he owned only his blankets, and a few personal belongings, including two cotton uniforms. Although he is a Red Army commander as well as chairman, he wore on his coat collar only two Red bars that are the insignia of the ordinary Red soldier.” YearsWellsTwoTenTaxesOrdinaryRedArmyPropertyIncludingSoldierBarsOfficialsBelongingUniformsCoatsFilesCommandersBlanketChairmanCollectorsCottonCollarsMaoLandlordRed Army Author:Edgar Snow
“Our international banking system allows banks to accept funds gained from tax evasion and other crimes and thereby facilitates and encourages embezzlement by public officials, especially in developing countries, as well as tax evasion and tax avoidance by multinational corporations.” WellsCountryAcceptingCrimeTaxesInternationalDevelopingCorporationsOfficialsFundBankingAvoidanceFacilitateEvasionDeveloping CountriesBanking SystemMultinationalsPublic OfficialsMultinational CorporationsEmbezzlementTax Evasion Author:Thomas Pogge