Zero Powers wrote:
> >From: "Michael S. Lorrey" <mike@datamann.com>
>
> >By my standards, there are some states in the US that are relatively free,
> >but
> >that is being eroded by the continuing federalization of many 'crimes'. The
> >US
> >as a whole used to be very free, at least for most people.
>
> "Most people"? If you eliminate the poor, all blacks, natives, and
> non-European immigrants (not to mention all children and females, regardless
> of race or class) you are left with those for whom the US "used to be very
> free" - adult, wealthy, white males. IMO that hardly constituted "most
> people."
Children: They are now regularly prosecuted as adults for crimes at ages as
young as 8 years old. They are taxed as adults. They must get registered with
social security within a year of birth. They can no longer use firearms, air
guns, knives, or other weaponry without close adult supervision (and in some
states even that is a crime). They can be expelled from school for innocent
behavior like being kissed or pointing a finger at someone.
Women: Sure they are free to work, but they must work if they have a family, as
nobody can afford a decent living on a single wage anymore due to high taxation.
Time was a single wage earner could afford to hire servants, own a large home
with a stay at home wife and plenty of kids. How many kids can you afford today?
A large percentage of women's income is taxes, so they are enslaved to the
government, whereas they used to earn their keep as homemakers tax free, and
income taxes were just a few percent for those that did work out of the home.
There were no barriers against women working outside of the home, as there were
many women doctors, scientists, engineers and other technical workers, as well
as many working in other skilled and unskilled professions. Not nearly as many
as today, to be sure, but they didn't have to if they didn't want to then. How
many women see being a homemaker as their primary profession as a respectable
career today? They can't afford to.
Poor: Poor people built this country, and many of them got quite rich and
comfortable doing it. Some of the richest people started out dirt poor. I would
say that at least 90% of the rich people today come from a poor background. All
of my ancestors came here dirt poor. The typical socialist hogwash about
capitalists exploiting the poor is a load of garbage. The crap you read about in
Upton Sinclair's _The Jungle_ turned out to be mostly false, the propaganda of a
socialist politician.
All of the above once paid little or nothing in taxes, could carry a gun
anywhere they damn pleased, were not vilified by political pressure groups, and
could speak their mind without worry about being prosecuted for it.
What I was referring to WAS blacks, native americans, etc. minorities who have
been obviously discriminated against.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Thu Jul 27 2000 - 14:11:34 MDT