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From: stewart@ihldt.UUCP (R. J. Stewart)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Comments on the Libertarian Platform, part 1
Message-ID: <2597@ihldt.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 8-Nov-84 16:56:56 EST
Article-I.D.: ihldt.2597
Posted: Thu Nov  8 16:56:56 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 10-Nov-84 07:25:44 EST
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Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL
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>	How often does the government kill people? Certainly you don't
>	get killed if you don't pay taxes. You just get dragged to jail
>	and locked up, at worst.

Normally this is true, but only because they don't need to flaunt power
that everyone knows is there.  Whether you're killed or not depends on
how far you want to take things.  Consider what would happen if the IRS
decided that you owed an extra $1,000 in taxes; you disagree and decide
to stand up for your principles:

GOV: You owe us $1,000.
YOU: No I don't, and I'm not going to pay it.
GOV: Since you didn't pay your taxes, we'll give you a last chance to
     pay the $1,000 plus penalty and interest.
YOU: I didn't owe you the money in the first place.
GOV: Very well, you're going to jail.  Report first thing in the
     morning.
YOU: I will do no such thing.
GOV: OK, we'll send some men to take you to jail.
YOU: I will resist them, since I never owed any money.
GOV: BANG!
YOU: 

The record will show that you were killed for resisting arrest.  This,
however, is only the last in a chain of increasing punishments.  So the
question is, at what point do you give up?  Most people give up before
being killed, because they know that the consequences only get worse as
you go along.

You may believe that this use of the police power is justified, but you
can't deny that this is where the government gets much of its ability to
persuade people.

Bob Stewart
ihldt!stewart