Unjustifying the Income tax

        Government Taxes and tax policies have become a important part of an individual's life in this age of big governments. Of course a government has the right to an income because of the services it provides ie it is only fair and just for governments to demand their dues in the form of taxes.

         But is the government justified in demanding  from the common citizen a portion of his wages/salaries/incomes which he made through his own work. For example tax on land can be easily justifiable by the fact that it is the government which protects the individuals right of ownership (using civil laws and military forces). 

        In case of a persons income what protection does the government offer to its income tax paying citizens. Does the government provide job or income security except in case of the public sector. Also does the government help him find a job when he is unemployed or provide for his family if something were to happen to him. The fact remains that the government does not provide any of these services to the vast majority of its tax paying citizens.

It is a shameful injustice that while hardworking citizens with dependent families are taxed any where from 10 to 50% while the companies and corporations run by the rich and powerful get away with paying meagre amounts. 

One more fact about the income tax is that it is a recent phenomenon starting about 80 years ago. During the many centuries before that, the governments run by kings and despots managed quite comfortably by just taxing land and commerce.

 

 

Defending the Libyan Intervention

    In the past few days there has been a lot of opinions voice about the NATO interventions in Libya. As usual the so called eastern bloc (China and Russia) including India  is against it. There are many who say that what happened in Iraq will be repeated in Libya. The anti-interventionists always cite the age old theme of sovereign rights of nations to do act as they please inside their countries to defend their stand.

However a closer look at history will reveal the double standards of the eastern bloc as well as justify the actions take by the west especially Britain and France.

 The non- interventionist have interfered militarily whenever their intrests were at stake in their neighboring countries.For eg: Russia in Afghanistan, Georgia etc; China in Korea, Vietnam etc, and even India in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Applying the same reason France and other European nations have all right to interfere in their neighboring country.

The Europeans are intimately affected by what happens in the middle east and Mediterranean. They have been invaded multiple time in the past 1400 years from that area. The crusades were primarily a humanitarian intervention to help Christians in the middle east

As with everything else the European interventions have caused more harm than good in several places. Only history will tell the after effects of this intervention. However the stories coming from Libya presently show that France and Great Britain may have finally interfered in the right country.

The Menace in Modern Governments

 Most of us probably hold the view that despite the corruption and inefficiencies plaguing modern governments, we at least have a democratic government answerable to the people at some point rather than the despotic monarchies of earlier days. However a closer look at the role of modern governments in our day today lifes will paint a less rosier picture. 

  While it is true that many monarchial governments in earlier days were repressive, despotic and didn't care what people thought, they had one interesting feature. Their involvement in the citizens personal life was limited. For eg they did not generally  force their will on citizens in the following areas.

1) Specifying the size of families
2) The persons freedom on what he should do with his land or money.
3) Report the total income they made by their own effort.

  The Democratic governments of today force (directly or implicitly) its citizens to follow its directives on all the things listed above and more. Also they have no problem in committing most of the repressive actions that are being accused on the Monarchical governments like:

1) Forcible detention of a citizen for any reason.
2) Censoring newspapers and media.
3) Forcible displacement of citizens from their property.

 A reasonable and fair analysis of today's democratic governments with monarchical governments can no doubt show that we have traded away some of our important personal freedoms for an illusion of representation in the halls of power.

Note: The term monarchical governments  does not include military dictatorships or constitutional monarchies.

Radicalization of the Middle East Dissent

  As I look at the events that have been unfolding in the middle east over the past many weeks, I am frustrated at the fact that horrific parts of world's history are repeating again. A decadent and ruthless regime is killing its own citizens and destroying its cities using tanks, air craft and mercenaries. A determined yet disunited opposition tries to  hold ground. In the back ground the European nations, who have the power to help the oppressed bicker among themselves on what to do. The sole super power makes idealistic statements but lacks the moral courage to lift a finger.

   However the dissent that has erupted in the the middle east is not something that can be snuffed out but superior fire power or organized crackdown. Even if the decadent middle east regimes succeed in putting out the flame of dissent for now, the embers will remain waiting for the right time to flare up. Only next time they will not be showing dissent using peaceful protests and they may not much care about democratic means of changing a government. Also they would have found new allies in the form of Islamic extremists.

 A brief glance at the French and Russian revolution gives ample pointers on how dissent suppressed re-emerges as dissent violent.

There are natural disasters and man made disasters- A revolution wrought in blood is a man made disaster and it leaves a scar on humanity more horrible than a natural disaster.

Revolution or Counter Revolution

  Looking at the protests happening in Libya, Egypt and Yemen today one would think a revolution is happening or in the process of happening. But in my opinion what is happening is a counter revolution. This is since all the incumbent governments in these three countries came about through revolutions. 

The protesters/rebels are trying to overthrow revolutionary governments. This would seem paradoxical but a brief look at the contemporary histories of these countries would prove this as true. Why would people try to overthrow revolutionary governments which they themselves helped put into place in the first place?

 Thas to do fundamentally with the way revolutions work- those who worked, fought and bled for it need not necessary be the ones in power at the end of it. This is since revolutions are essentially chaotic struggle for power and what emerges on top cannot be predicted easily. A rule of thumb that can be applied is that usually the most organized group active in a revolution may gain the upper hand. 

   Hence the grand ideals and moral objectives that sparked the revolution may not be there when it all ends. This is roughly what happened to the incumbent revolutionary governments presently in power in many countries. Examples like China, North Korea, Vietnam, Libya, Egypt come immediately to mind as examples of misguided revolutions.

  For all its apparent faults the US revolution seems to be the only one which preserved its original ideals.

When will the Governments stop growing?

 I often start a blog intending to keep it to as few words as possible, but usually end up writing more than my fair share. Interestingly I think the same applies to how the role of national governments have evolved over the years.

  In the beginning they had the simple task of protecting a nations citizen's and maintain order. But now the governments all over the world are involved in almost every sphere of human activity from procreation to death. All this has invariably come at the price of the individual, family and society conceding more powers to the government.  

  The big question is whether the live of an average human person has improved by the Government becoming a provider, and whether our lives would have been better if the government had kept to its original role of being a protector. One obvious advantage of a limited government would be freedom from the thousands of laws that have come into effect, and the new one's being created every day.

 I stop here not wanting to exceed my self imposed limit of words, still wondering when governments will do the same.

Religious Freedom: Is it only applicable to Muslims?

  I don't usually like to write about the ills of another community, but after having heard this story I cannot stop  myself from writing what I feel. But let me say at the outset that I have no ill intention towards the muslim community. I respect them and have only good will towards them. On a personal level I have had several friends from the Muslim community.

  The story is about a poor Christian woman from a village in Pakistan who has been condemned to death by the courts for allegedly blaspheming against the Prophet. Another report on the same is here. After reading about her, I could not help becoming disgusted about the reasoning behind such a verdict.  

  What does the Pakistani State hope to achieve by killing a poor, uneducated woman who  lived  a simple life of a Wife and Mother. Her only crime was trying to say a few words defending her Faith which every Christian (who really follows Jesus) including myself would gladly do without fear. But her own women co-workers have turned that into Blasphemy.

   Now what I find most disconcerting is the fact that the Muslims (Intellectuals, activists and society) who would go up in arms against the slightest taunt against their faith remain silent. So have the mainstream news channels who go crazy even if there is an alleged threat to burn a holy book or a plan to ban the face veil .(I haven't seen any major Muslim organization take a stand against this cruelty nor seen any report in mainstream media. Only a few christian Media have brought this story out. But it is entirely possible that I may have missed something, so forgive me if I have.)

 The Hypocricy involved here is amazing. And this is not an isolated incident, only this is the first time a woman has been condemned. Nor is this confined to Pakistan, most Islamic republics and sultanates have laws like these. Is it that the poor non-Muslim people in Islamic countries are somehow lesser human beings, who are condemned to live in humiliation and fear for their entire lives.

Whatever happens to this poor woman, she can be glad of the fact that she never denied her faith in Jesus. For Jesus has told that whoever affirms to him on earth, He will not deny them before the Father.