That's a pretty big claim that like all of philosophy is the "approved" narrative. I don't have a degree in history or philosophy, but maybe read up on like Hobbes and Kant?

You didn't respond to my part in the middle asking if you're just cherry-picking laws.

(Also I have to go get dinner and such, so I'm going to stop responding in a bit. This has been interesting.)

That's not what criminal act means. Criminal means it's a violation of a law.

Tax policy comes from the laws that are made (typically) by elected representatives. That's the government we live under, which is allegedly maintained by the consent of the people. If you knock that pillar out and just say "Government only applies to people who explicitly consent" then you're going to get some hellish mix of sovereign citizens and the purge.

Like, if you're not consenting to the laws of the US, can I just shoot you dead? Why not? Are you cherry-picking which laws you want to apply?

You can't really seriously be making the "I didn't ask to be born and thus I'm not subject to the rules of the land" argument, can you? I feel like every teenager comes up with that point, and then takes like a history class or philosophy class.

I think we should organize and go demand everyone working for DOGE... stop. And not demand like with funny signs and chants, but like with 2nd amendment arms.

That doesn't explain how they are "criminal". that was the word you used.

Many things are either subject to penalties or legitimacy based on context. If you cut someone open and take out their kidney, that's probably a crime! Unless you're a doctor doing a surgery in a hospital. Context matters.

Why are they both criminals? What law are they going breaking? I think the IRS, as part of the sovereign government of the US, cannot really be criminal. I think that's getting into some like philosophy of "what is the state?" stuff though, which is beyond my expertise.

You seem to be rejecting the whole idea of social contracts and representative government. Which, ok, but that's going against quite a long history.

I honestly have no idea what you're trying to say. No one is talking about poor people buying five cars and yachts. I'm talking about how when you're poor, and you're trying to make what little you have cover (for example) clothing, paying $10 in taxes is a bigger portion, and thus hurts more, than if you were rich and had to pay the same tax.

Do you know how money works? How the more money you have, the less each dollar matters?

Because conservatives have been trying to kill social security since its inception. It shouldn't really be in any danger of insolvency, barring conservative sabotage. A trivial search finds many articles about this: https://www.forbes.com/advisor/retirement/social-security-bankrupt/

If pushing taxation down to the state level makes a project impossible to do, then perhaps that project should not have been done to begin with.

This is clearly pants on head stupid. Postal service. Interstate transit systems. Weather forecasting. Just off the top of my head.

And again, one more time, you haven't backed up your initial claim that "Taxation is theft".

Are you Elon Musk? Because "cut 99% of the government" is the kind of uninformed ass-pull I would epxect from him.

Consumption taxes on goods is extremely regressive. That will tremendously impact the poor.

You clearly have no idea what you are talking about.

That is irrelevant to your claim of "Taxation is theft". Taxes pay for programs like medicare, medicaid, and social security, which are extremely popular.

Pushing stuff down to the state level makes coordination difficult, some projects impossible, and again is irrelevant to your argument that taxation is theft

What a disingenuous take. Surely you can see how no one's going to take that message seriously, and no one will be convinced?

Taxes also pay for health care, roads, libraries, arts, and countless other things. Do you hate health care, roads, libraries, and art? I mean, maybe, but I wouldn't be confident about guessing that based solely on your position on taxation.

None of this is supporting your initial claim of "taxation is theft"

No it's not. Not paying your taxes and using public services is more arguably theft.

things like this are why anyone saying the right wing is fiscally responsible should be laughed out of the room