Today, I read the manifesto of Joe Stack, the seemingly sane individual who flew his personal aircraft into an IRS building yesterday.
While I’m certain that people will call this guy a “nutcase”and a “whack job”, I think there needs to be some close perspective shed on this poor man. If you read the manifesto he wrote, you can hear the words of a man who was, obviously, at his wits’ end. His words to not strike me as crazy, or insane; quite the contrary, his ideas are well thought out even though, by his own admission, had a lot of random thoughts running through his mind.
I have always found it interesting what makes a person think that there are no other options and decides to take their own life. (And in this case the lives of others) I have been in low points in my life where it seemed like death would be a better location than the one I was currently occupying, but never got to the point of following through with the thoughts. Having gotten a glimpse of Joe Stack’s mindset, I now understand. This guy, by initial indications, was a hard-working, middle-class guy who, like most of us, has his problems. Not a criminal; not a thug. His actions, though deplorable, are at the very least understandable.
So the question to be posed is, “Is Joe Stack the issue, or is the issue the United States tax model?”
I have been a supporter of a national flat sales tax and the resulting abolition of the I.R.S. This is not hard people….you buy a Mercedes-Benz; you pay tax on a Benz….once. If you but a Chevrolet Monte Carlo, the tax wouldn’t be the same as the Mercedes. How hard is that to comprehend? But here’s the dig; it’s far easier for the Federal Government to TAKE your money up front in the form of taxes, than it is for them to operate under the constraints of a budget-type system. And make no doubt, we do not PAY taxes. The tax is taken from us before we ever even get to touch our payroll checks or direct deposits. And when the fortunate few get a “refund”….sure you did. Uncle Sam TOOK your money up front, and then used it for whatever, and then gave it back to you. It was never his to being with!!!
The entire system is a sham and is outdated. But as long as there’s money to be made by those in power, whomever that may be, the system will remain in place. And I fully believe that we will see more acts such as this one in the coming days and months. This will be because we have no true representation in this “republic” government. When people catch on the that fact, all hell is going to break loose. I can only hope I’m around to see it happen.
