[Radar]

Wow, you guys are posting fast and furiously, I'll try to keep up.

If we didn't have to pay taxes, don't you think employers would tend to pay us less?

Some might, but I think most would think they could pay the same amount, and have happier and more productive employees. They look like a hero and don't have to pay a dime more. In either case, the economy would be doing better because when people got to keep what they earn, more people could start new businesses offering more jobs to people. The increased competition in the market would drive wages upward.

So...um....how exactly does this work with essential services exactly. Do I have to pay the postman every time I want my letter delivered? Pave a road to the local store myself? Can I then charge people to use it?

Who pays for local roads right now? Your town or county through property taxes. Property taxes are fees to pay for police, firefighters, parks, and local roads. I don't see that changing. But I do support toll roads. All of the toll roads I've been on in CA are better maintained, traffic is smoother, etc. And with lots of them, the costs would remain very low and reasonable. That way those who use it pay for it, and those who don't do not. As far as a postal service, there would no longer be a monopoly. You could choose your postal service and arrange payments with them. My guess is some would offer a monthly fee, some would have postage meters, etc. and all would be faster, cheaper, and more efficient.

Pull out of your ass social theory and fuzzy-beyond-analyisis numbers aside wouldn't this mostly result in the disadvantaged having a choice between starving and swallowing some religious bullshit to get a meal?

There are many non-profits that are not affiliated with any religion. And those are the only ones I personally donate to. More would crop up with government out of the picture. But if I'm starving and cold and someone says I can have a hot meal, a shower, and a place to sleep in exchange for hearing thier religious pitch, I might go for it.

As far as economics are concerned, mine are extremely sound. Sadly many Americans don't understand the concept of inflation. They look at politicians on television pointing to higher prices as though THAT were inflation. The politicians promise to fight politician, but THEY are the cause of it. All the government would have to do to stop inflation is turn off the printing presses, cut the unconstitutional parts of government, and back our money with something of value instead of empty promises by government. We'd eliminate the illegal federal reserve system entirely.

Why are those (excise, "tariffs", etc.) taxes not theft and why do they not have an economic impact while income taxes do?

Tariffs are a fee paid for the priviledge of selling foreign goods in America. In most cases, labor in other nations is far cheaper (thanks to inflation caused by politicians) so the fee is negligable for those importing the goods and they still have a chance to compete fairly. Do these things have an economic impact? Unfortuantely yes. This is a non-direct hidden tax on consumers because the cost is passed on by those importing the goods onto them in the form of higher prices. Not necessarily higher than the goods made in America, but higher than they might have been otherwise. Income taxes aren't as much about economic impact as social impact. We each own our own bodies, minds, and labor. And nobody has a claim on the fruits of our labor but ourselves. To take it by force is theft and slavery. Some would argue that you get something back for the money that's taken so it's somehow not theft but of course they are wrong.

If I put a gun to your head and tell you to give me your watch, and then I give you money before leaving, you have still been robbed. And even if I stupidly give you more money than the watch is worth, you have still been robbed.