Go Free Yourself

I posted yesterday about how federal lawmakers are, to say the least, misusing taxpayer funds. The National Taxpayers Union offers more proof of our politicians’ disregard for taxpayers with their 2007 Rating of Congress, based on every 2007 roll-call vote about spending or taxes.

“Despite campaign-trail promises from many Members of Congress to put Washington on a stricter diet, our 2007 Rating shows that, by and large, the only things shrinking on Capitol Hill are lawmakers’ pro-taxpayer scores,” NTU President Duane Parde said. “Overburdened taxpayers looking for an end to ‘earmarked’ spending, an extension of President Bush’s tax cuts, and an honest entitlement reform plan won’t like what they see in Congress’s performance so far.”

The Washington Examiner also weighed in on this problem in the Washington area, declaring that “local lawmakers spend like drunken sailors.”

Unfortunately, the voting records of the Washington-area’s senators and representatives show that most couldn’t care less about the growing burden of taxes on their constituents.

What they care about is using our tax dollars to advance their political interests.

Ho-hum, just another day. At least the Office starts again tonight!

See how your lawmakers rate here.

(Hat Tip: Mark Tapscott)

I know this news is a bit old, but I just think it’s so awesome. The news I’m referring to is Wesley Snipes’ tax case, in which he was acquitted of the serious tax charges (federal tax fraud and conspiracy) he faced for refusing to pay taxes and file tax returns for a number of years. In doing so, he became “an unlikely public face for the tax-denier movement, whose members maintain that Americans are not obligated to pay income taxes and that the government extracts taxes from its citizens illegally.” He was, however, convicted on three misdemeanor counts of failing to file tax returns.

I think this partial acquittal is especially awesome because my husband (Jared) and I recently did our taxes, and we are not happy. The self-employment tax (Jared is an independent contractor) is just plain robbery. So, I suggested to my husband that we “pull a Wesley Snipes” on the IRS this year to solve this problem. We simply send in a tax return that says “$0.00″ on it, with a note attached that says “Thanks for asking, but we are not obligated to give you any money. Especially since you waste it.”

He, however, was not as excited about this plan as I was. He said something about “going to jail to make a point” was “a hassle.” Hmph. Even my best dramatic “Are You Saying That Defending Your Liberty Is A Hassle?!” speech didn’t sway him. Well, maybe next year. In the meantime, I’ll be cheering on NTU (National Taxpayers Union) for their work to defend taxpayers.