More Than a Gentle Reminder

We are 10 days away from our launch date ... the date that we leave our stick built house (the front yard, anyway) and depart on our full time RV adventure.  The last hurdle that we faced was/is the finalizing of our home sale.  As we got close to the end, we got a call from the attorney's office working on the title.  It seems that the Georgia Department of Revenue performed an audit on our 2004 taxes and decided that we had underpaid $150.  That would have been a good piece of information to have, but we, for whatever reason, did not receive notification until we 'discovered' the lien on our property.  Well, with late fees, interest and several other 'collection' fees.  The amount rose to $597.

So, OK.  We take it in stride.  We have a little money saved up.  So, I decide to pay it on line to get it cleared up.  Well ... the 3rd party company that handles the payment processing is unable to process taxes older than a couple years old.  And even if they did, they wanted a very hefty "convenience" fee.  Yes, more fees on top of the fees, penalties and interest.  Nice.

So, the next step was to go, in person, to the Department of Revenue and pay off the lien.  I took the afternoon off from work and arrived about 1:15 PM.  The first thing that I noticed was how beautiful (and expensive) the Department of Revenue building was.  And the lobby was also extravagant.  It was kind of like a tax collection palace.  Yes, I am steaming a bit about how my tax dollars are being spent.

After passing through 2 metal detectors I enter the "customer" service room and stand in line to get a number to stand in line (only government can do that), I finally get to a person ("agent") who is unable to take credit card.  She asks me to walk back across the lobby, through another set of metal detectors to the "other" customer service.  I then stand in line (I am not exaggerating on this) to get a number for another customer service window.

Now I get another "agent" and let him know that I want to pay my lien with a credit card.  He then walks me over to a computer terminal and launches the same 3rd party tool that I found on the web before and ... surprisingly ... he tells me that it can't be done using that method.  Also, I find out that using a credit card will not grant me a clearance letter for 30 days.  I am now 1 1/2 hours into this process.  He says my only option is cash.  So, I go out to an ATM and withdraw $600 (plus fees, of course) then go back to stand in line to get a number to get service.  Still remaining patient, somehow.

Finally, I pay the bill and I am finished right?  No, I just have a receipt.  To get the clearance letter I have to go back to the other "customer service" area to inquire about getting a clearance letter.  Ok, so I stand in line to get another number and wait ... and wait ... and wait.  While I am sitting there, I hear many disgruntled people that are paying unexpected taxes (I guess I am not alone in this issue).  After another 1 1/2 hours of waiting, I do get the letter and have finally finished the ordeal.

I did manage to keep my cool during the process, because I have finally learned that it does not do me any good to complain to the workers.  They are amazingly incompetent, but it only causes me more problems if I make their job harder.   But it is definitely an example of how coercive our governments have become.

Coercion is defined as: The practice of forcing another party to act in an involuntary manner (whether through action or inaction) by use of threats or intimidation or some other form of pressure or force, and describes a set of various different similar types of forceful actions that violate the free will of an individual to induce a desired response. These actions can include, but are not limited to, extortion, blackmail, torture, and threats to induce favors. In law, coercion is codified as a duress crime. Such actions are used as leverage, to force the victim to act in a way contrary to their own interests. Coercion may involve the actual infliction of physical pain/injury or psychological harm in order to enhance the credibility of a threat. The threat of further harm may lead to the cooperation or obedience of the person being coerced.

It also reminds me that the government can always go back and re-assess your prior tax payments (that they agreed to) and decide to take more.  Therefore, re-enforcing the concept that TAXATION IS THEFT.  It is not, even in the least, voluntary.

It has motivated me even more to reduce my taxable income and stop funding this monster.  I no longer have the desire to keep making a modest income so I can pay my tributes to our masters.  Galt's Gulch is calling.

Everyone stay safe out there and keep your head down.

Until next time,

Happy Trails - Kit

How Surprised Are You ... Really?

This last week has been rife with stories about the US government, at the highest level, collecting phone record, texts, emails, etc. from, well, basically everyone.

There are a few items that are, without a doubt, painfully true. 

• Since it is in the national news, it is much worse than is being reported
• Where-ever the government is making the most effort to deny, is probably where the most truth is
• It is George Bush's fault (he does bear some responsibility, but this expanded under the current administration)
• The whistle-blower (messenger) will be vilified instead of the actual crimes
• The normal administration apologists will downplay the issues and blame the "Vast right-wing conspiracy" (probably using different terms, but nonetheless, the same thing)
• If Bill Clinton were president, he would probably bomb some Lybian aspirin factory

I remember reading George Orwell's book, 1984 in High School and was outraged by the idea of the government being so intrusive.  As it turns out, there were 2 types of people that read that book.  The first, like myself and most people did feel a sense of outrage.  Unfortunately, the 2nd group read the book and said, "What a cool idea." and they became politicians.

In reality, our constitution does not include a "Right to Privacy" in the Bill of Rights.  It does include "Freedom of Speech" and the supreme court did, in fact, interpret it that way in the distant past.  The thought was that if your private conversations were monitored, you would be less likely to speak freely for fear of retribution.  But, oh that slippery-slope.  If the original constitution authors could have envisioned future technology, I am sure that they would have made provision for protecting private speech.

 Now for some less sensational facts.

• Ever since the internet went public, email was created, MySpace and Facebook started gathering your personal information and smart phones became part of everyone's life, the government has been keeping tabs on you
• There have been many people informing us of this all along
• You have been in denial of these facts
• Every manufactured crisis has resulted in large encroachments of personal liberties in the name of keeping you more secure
• You are not more secure than before the encroachments
• You can never trust the government to stop collecting data about you or listening to your conversations (no matter who is in office)
• The genie is out of the bottle, he cannot be put back

The truth is that you have had to have your head buried in the sand to not know this was happening.  I don't really blame you.  People like to think that their government is of the people and by the people and there to protect them.  It is more comfortable to have that position, then to accept what is painfully obvious, you are really just an asset that needs to be monitored.

So, what does this really mean?  Am I saying that this is not serious?  Oh yes, it is quite serious.  Unfortunately, it is not new information.  Yesterday, the government was collecting information and spying on you in ways that George Orwell could not even envision.  You had your suspicions, but you were powerless to do anything about it.  Today, the government is collecting information and spying on you and you have confirmation.  But you are still powerless to do anything about it.

Please spare me the feigned outrage.  Your calls for action will fall on deaf ears.  The people in power will not give up their "tools" because you are upset.  That ship has sailed and the genie that got out of the bottle is piloting it (how's that for a mixed metaphor?).

So, what should we do?  Should we just accept that we live in a police state?  Actually, yes.  The safest thing to do is get past the denial stage and act as if your every conversation is being listened to.  The German underground was able to use the Nazi* observations as a weapon against them by providing false information and misdirection.  One thing that sociopathic bullies (or politician, the terms can be used interchangeably) like is for their victims to squirm and resist.  It helps to identify those that need to be silenced.  So, stop resisting and confuse them.  The next thing to do is stop contributing to the economy.  Pay your tributes (taxes, protection money, mob fees, pick the best term that applies) that you cannot avoid paying, but start reducing your tax base.  Pay off your debt, reduce your expenses and find ways to reduce your income.

Now that you have simplified your life, go live life.  Enjoy nature.  Spend time with your family.  Have as much fun as you can as the system collapses.  You may as well, the system will implode with or without your worry and contribution.  Just let it go.  This is the key to happiness.  As everyone else is concerned about their 401K, you can smile knowing that no matter what, you are powerless to control it anyway, so smile and let them think you are crazy.

Meanwhile, Kat and I hope to see you out there on the Path to Galt's Gulch.

Until next time - Kit

*Am I comparing the current administration to the Nazi's?  No, it is more like Stalinist Soviet Union, which turned out to be even more diabolical.