March 1, 2007 at 09:37:39

Taxation without representation is tyranny.

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By Carol Wolman (about the author) Page 1 of 1 page(s)

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For OpEdNews: Carol Wolman - Writer

This was a slogan of the American colonies leading up to the Revolutionary War. The colonists were not represented in the British parliament, yet had to pay taxes to support King George III.

Under the US Constitution, monarchy is abolished and replaced by sovereignty of We the People. We are represented by the members of the House of Representatives, who stand for election every two years. Theoretically, they do the bidding of the citizens who elect them.

What we are seeing now is a Congress which was elected in November 2006 to get us out of Iraq and curb the foreign adventures of a "unitary" executive which is out of control. Instead, the Democrats, who have an overwhelming mandate from We the People, are making feeble gestures, but continuing to fund the occupation of Iraq, the troop "surge" of 22,000 additional troops, and whatever other military adventures the current "King" George chooses to pursue. Both the Democratic House and the Democratic Senate have said this week that they will not withhold funds from the military, no matter what.

Congress no longer represents We the People. If they did, the 110th Congress would have started work on articles of impeachment at once, to free us from the pirates who, flying the Skull and Bones, have hijacked the US ship of state, and are roving the world, plundering, slaughtering, torturing, raping, and stealing,- with our hard-earned tax dollars.

But not one member of Congress will start the impeachment process. John Conyers, who two years ago tried to get a people's movement for impeachment going, and is now head of the House Judiciary Committee, has said "impeachment will not happen". Even brave Rep. Barbara Lee, who alone voted against the invasion of Afghanistan, and whose Berkeley/Oakland constituency is at least 70% for impeachment of Bush and Cheney, will not step out. The Democratic party evidently has a lockdown on all Congresspeople, and none of them will break out. Even the revelations of treason coming out at the Libby trial on the part of both Bush and Cheney will not spur Congress to action.

We the People don't want war with Iran, don't want to continue the occupation of Iraq, do want attention to global warming, do want some form of universal health care, do want money to be spent on essential human services, education, the arts. Our priorities are ignored, and what we loathe is being pursued instead. And our Congress won't do anything about it.

Our forefathers had a revolution rather than pay modest taxes to the British government, where they had no representation. Do we have representation? Are the taxes we pay going for uses we approve of? If not, what should we do?

Taxation without representation is tyranny.

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Carol S. Wolman, MD is a psychiatrist in Northern California. A lifelong peace activist, she is helping to distribute a Peace Plan for the Holy Land- email her for a copy. As the Green candidate for Congress in California District 1 in '08, she (more...)

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