Tax Day 2012—What Does It Really Mean to Us?

NYC War Tax Resistance has borne witness to another Tax Day protest this past April 17. As usual, we protest the misappropriation of income taxes into ongoing war spending.

Protester behind barricades
One of the many faces of protest

But what impact does the military budget have on our daily lives? While this war spending is a bad thing at any time, in times of high unemployment and rampant underemployment, it is especially egregious. As drone attacks continue to plunder the Afghani and other populations, killing innocent people and increasing animosity toward the U.S., a different kind of war is taking place on the domestic front—one that is aimed directly at those who fall below the nation’s wealthiest 1%. These wealthy interests continue to deadlock Congress ensuring:

  • Lack of government spending to produce jobs
  • Reaffirmation of corporate personhood based on the 2010 opinion of Justice Kennedy in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. (His opinion asserted that corporations, as associations of individuals, have speech rights under the First Amendment.)
  • Corporate welfare based on unfair tax loopholes
  • Insistence on a corporate profit-based model for healthcare

All these things taking place are contrary to the health of the people in a country better able to afford such services than perhaps any other nation in the world! This deplorable situation is illustrated in the fact that the United States currently ranks 37th in healthcare, according to the World Health Organization.

In retrospect, it was indeed heartening to see the diversity of protesters present at the IRS on April 17. These protesters recognized the implications in government spending—where it is a runaway train wreck, and more importantly where increased spending is desperately needed. Clearly, the health of the corporation is not the health of the nation. Until Congress recognizes this and acts upon it, it is incumbent on us to continue our protest.

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