Famous Ankles

Well, on September 1 there was a tax protest at Union Square.

So, I saw Black Americans protesting income taxes, big deal.  I’ve heard about the idea that some Blacks believe that the tax laws don’t apply to them because there is some sort of exception for Blacks or because it is a reparations issue.  So, I decided to figure out what it was about.  They brought lots of documentation that seemed to support the idea that the issue was oriented toward Blacks, simply because of their use of the word “slave” in a number of their documents.

But that theory was exploded early.  Apparently, they’re being black and using the word “slave” were ancillary to their point.  I just wish I understood their point… 

I talked with one of them.  He was very earnest and determined to prove his point.  He said the income tax process wasn’t legal.  I mentioned there was a Constitutional amendment.  He pulled out a copy of the Constitution and read the sixteenth amendment to me (kudos to him).  He then said that the amendment only gave the government the power to levy taxes.  It wasn’t a law.  I was extremely puzzled.  I had expected some sort of statement about it being unjust or inapplicable but to say there was the power and authority to tax and that Congress has neglected to pass a law to levy tax simply boggled me.  But that’s what he said.

I don’t know the code references, but I did say that every few years, Congress passes a new set of tax laws changing levels and changing exemptions.  He became very animated by this and told me that it wasn’t….I don’t know.  He didn’t say it wasn’t applicable.  He said something about how it didn’t apply to individuals, but that was an aside.  He handed me a written document that accuses unnamed IRS and government authorities of high crimes and misdemeaners.  It also says that one of these crimes is “…should have known of the non-existence of a law made in pursuance of the Sixteenth Amendment…”.

Twice I heard them cite corporations as paying no taxes and how unjust it is.  Which is kind of a strange complaint if they don’t believe there’s any law for any taxes. 

While I was there, I saw one of the members engaged in a relatively lengthy conversation.  Maybe they have no relationship, but they seemed friendly.

The guy on the right spent a while talking with them.  Once again, I have no idea if he’s a comrade in their struggle, a rabid supporter, or a rabid opponent.  But the guy on the right is a regular Union Square guy that I think of as “Prison Planet Guy” because he has this weird shirt that has unreadable messages written all over it, with a “www dot prisonplanet dot com” address quite legible.  That site is very strange and I hesitate to give it any sort of political assignment.  It seems to be on its own.  I will say that there doesn’t seem to have a conspiracy theory that it doesn’t ascribe to.

Well, I’m all in favor of the non-enforcement of non-existent laws.  But I have a sneaking suspicion that there are tax laws so I’ll be filing my taxes the same way I do every year….reluctantly but on time.

-H