Dispatches of alarm and hope, on politics and society, democracy and justice. Because silence is not an option. We may read and write alone, but we drive change together. Snapshot: We Are Funding Trump's Attacks on AmericaIt's painful to realize Donald Trump is using our tax dollars to wage war against Americans
Each week I get a greater understanding of the anger early Americans felt toward King George—and how that anger rose as their tax payments were misused by his oppressive government. I’m witnessing that anger rise now, both in myself and in a growing number of fellow Americans. Let me note from the outset that I’m not saying you shouldn’t pay your federal taxes. It’s a crime if you don’t. But I hope that this reflection will motivate you to participate in tomorrow’s No Kings protest and other upcoming demonstrations where the ultimate goal is to end this tyrannical regime. It’s hard to see the logic of sending my hard-earned dollars to fund Trump’s expanding efforts to abandon the United States of America as a whole—and only support the factions that he supports. Trump’s rejection of all Americans has become more obvious in recent days as he’s declared he’ll cut “Democrat programs that we’re opposed to” and deny funding to Democratic-led cities and Democratic leaders that he despises. Suddenly, Trump says he’s stopping the $18 billion in funding to New York allocated for a Second Avenue subway and a Hudson River tunnel that connects to New Jersey, two key transportation projects important for the city’s function and growth. Suddenly, Trump is freezing $2.1 billion for transit upgrades in Chicago. These are just some of the more than 200 projects that are being frozen or canceled primarily in Democratic-led cities and states, which The New York Times reports are worth nearly $28 billion. But it’s not just what Trump won’t do—what congressionally approved projects he won’t fund. Equally egregious is what he is spending our money on instead. He’s using our tax dollars to murder our fellow humans in the Caribbean Sea without due process or other legal authority. He’s spending our money to turn the Department of Justice into his personal weapon for retribution against his perceived enemies, actual justice be damned. He’s directing our tax dollars to fund his military occupation of Democratic cities and an expanding police state with federal agents that are assaulting, arresting and kidnapping both immigrants and American citizens without warrants or due process. In short, our money is being used to fund the illegal physical abuse of friends, neighbors and family members. As loudly and frequently as I may dissent to these actions, it’s hard not to feel complicit in these crimes. There’s been a history of tax resistance from those who morally objected to the wars that the United States has pursued, particularly in Vietnam and Iraq. Dating back to the American Revolution, for example, pacifist Quakers refused to pay taxes for the war effort and many were jailed. Those were legitimate acts of opposition to what they saw as objectionable military activities. Indeed, there were strong reasons to protest against these wars pushed by Lyndon Johnson and George W. Bush. Many feel the same way about the situation in Gaza today. Every human life lost as a result of immoral action and based on lies is a terrible tragedy. But we are facing something different now: A man who is abusing his power to destroy our democracy, demonizing much of our country that doesn’t fit his twisted picture of the “real America,” abandoning his duty to our Constitution and ignoring the rule of law as he deploys military troops and ICE and border agents to wage war in our own cities. It’s painful to think that I am helping finance the lawless street attacks by federal agents. It’s terrible to realize that Trump’s power to rip apart our country depends on his access to the money that we pay into the national treasury. To be clear, we are locked into the nexus of a system that legally requires us to fund the operations of the federal government. In normal times, I can argue to myself how this responsibility supports our system of self-governance, even when I may disagree with the specific policies of those in power. But now we are handing Donald Trump and his authoritarian regime the resources to destroy our nation. I wish I was speaking hyperbolically. I don’t want to see that any reader here is influenced by this discussion to stop paying taxes. The federal government—especially under Trump—has the power to charge you and jail you. But in the spirit of “no taxation without representation,” I hope this reflection leads you to speak out, to express your opposition to this regime’s hostile agenda and to demand change. I hope that it motivates you to participate in economic boycotts or other labor strikes that can limit the regime’s political power. It’s still true that their power emanates from the will of the people—and we still have the power to say that we reject their destruction of our beloved country. There are more of us than there are of them. They can’t control us. They can’t stop us from voicing our dissent. Thugs and thuggery cannot lead to a better future, no matter what they are saying. See you at No Kings. |
