From: nobody@REPLAY.COM (Anonymous)
Date: Thu, 6 Nov 1997 06:51:01 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Taxing Churches for their views? Bad idea. (fwd)
Message-ID: <199711052226.XAA21798@basement.replay.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



Jim Burnes wrote:
> On Wed, 5 Nov 1997, Anonymous wrote:
> >   Churches, like governments, corporations, or any other organized
> > entity, have some wonderful people in them, doing wonderful things.
> > The problem, as always, is what our founding fathers realized--these
> > types of organizations/structures tend to grow and attain power which
> > is then used for the purpose of self-sustained growth (survival).
> >   Humanity tends to evolve, while organized humanity tends to de-volve.
> > Biped humans, walking upright, form organizations which move toward
> > becoming quadrapeds dragging large clubs.

> Ha!  This is pretty interesting.  Rather than the typical cypherpunk
> approach of eliminating such inefficient and corrupting methods as
> income taxation and tax exemption we are playing by their game.

  Taxation and exemptions are, conceptually, no different than a
tribal agreement that those who bring home the deer will share
with those who guard the campsite, and that the shaman who keeps
the evil spirits at bay has to do neither.
  When one strips the semantics from various cypherpunks posts, 
there is usually an underlying agreement that there should be
no 'free rides' and no 'oppressive burdens.' <-- generality>

> The whole of HG Wells warning to society was that by systematically
> altering the language, you alter the things that can be discussed.

  I believe that half of the disagreements on the cypherpunks list,
and the vast majority of disagreements in the world in general, are
the result of disputes over semantics, rather than beliefs.
 
> rather than bitch and moan about how the Churches are exempt, why
> not rejoice in the fact that at least the churches are free from
> taxation.  We are part of the way there.

  Revolutionary idea! Instead of calling for Churches to be subject
to the same oppressive taxation as the rest of us, call for the rest
of us to be given the same exemptions as Churches.
  I vote Jim Burnes the honorary title of 'CypherPunks Chief Taxation
Spokesperson' (Norman Vincent Peale Chapter).

> Or start your own church.  ;-)

  I agree.

TruthPastor
"CypherPunks Church of One"
(All donations declared by myself to be tax deductible--check with the
 authorities in *your* jail cell (*after* sending me money) as to their
 views in this regard.)