Taxation without representation

H.G. Wells offers us Americans a learning moment today. He writes:

"When men and women are unlimited and unrestrained, the evidence of history shows clearly that they are liable to become monsters of self-indulgence; when... they are driven and unhappy, ... their impulse is towards immoderate tragical resorts, toward wild revolts or towards the austerities and intensities of religion.

When the growing mass ( of men) is baffled and permeated by a hopeless sense of being inexplicably bested, it is the preparatory condition for all great revolutionary movements.

Insurrections throughout history always ultimately are traceable to the pressure of taxation.

The first condition of Republicanism is that there is a common political idea in the minds of all men, an idea of the state thought of as the personal possession of each individual and as the backbone fact of its scheme of duties. Republicanism only offers the prospect of a promise of happiness or self-respect or preservation of one’s kind. As a result, a systemic moral and intellectual education is necessary for a healthy republican state. Next to education, there must be abundant, prompt ad truthful information of what is going on the state, frank and free discussion of issues of the time. Unable to surmount these obstacles, the Roman mind turned to monarchy."

Are we Americans not self-indulgent today? Does not the media foster the notions that we Americans are unhappy and our rejection of President Bush and election of Obama reveals how we were driven to desperate measures? Likewise, the media encourages the notions of class inequities and economic disparities which have caused us Americans to be bested by the rich. When our new President Obama raises taxes, however, will the ‘bloom’ fade from the rose? Obviously, Americans felt that they had no stake in democratic governance and representative Republicanism so they chose to elect a new leader, Obama. But moral and intellectual education has long been absent from our youth and voting citizenry. Furthermore, the media - biased and liberal - has abandoned its duty to allow ‘free and frank discussion of the issues.’

Where will America go from here? Will we turn to monarchy anarchy, revolution or God? Is Obama our new Sun King? Or is Obama headed for the guillotine?