I've been thinking a lot tonight about civil disobedience through refusal to pay taxes in support of a government which one finds to be immoral and unjust. I think it is a terrific way to voice displeasure with government and stand up to an unjust system. However, I also think that it can be easy for people to misinterpret the act as a simple case of greedy people wanting to have more money. I had an idea that I think could be a very powerful statement and maybe cause more people to become aware of the evils of taxation and government in general.
Basically, I just started thinking about what could be accomplished if people began to refuse paying taxes which contribute to war, bailouts, etc., and instead used all of that money to support charities or even more directly assist the poor and needy in their communities. If enough people were to do this, it would surely receive much attention, and bring to light how much good could be accomplished if people were allowed to use resources in the way they feel is best. People would begin to think about how the money is being used and if it could possibly be better used in other ways. Right now many people feel that government is a benefit to society, but this could be a big way to show that no government could be a much bigger benefit.
Additionally, I believe if it was undeniable that people were not just hoarding the money, but instead making a great impact on the lives of people in their communities, they would receive a large amount of support. Imagine the reaction if the government were to step in and arrest hundreds (or better yet, thousands) of people for their decision to support needy people in the community instead of unnecessary war. Instead of the public siding with government, it may be possible that the sympathies of the public would lie with the protesters who are actually improving society. It could cause people to begin to genuinely question the motives and intent behind the system.
I think if enough people committed to this idea of using civil disobedience not only to protest the current structure, but also to actively improve society at the same time, it could greatly increase public support and awareness.
My concern would be that the government would obviously try to put an end to this behavior before much impact could be made, and thus before much support could be raised. It would need to be organized in such a way that it any impact would be very noticeable from the moment it became known that this was going on.
Could something like this work to generate support and awareness among the general public?
Basically, I just started thinking about what could be accomplished if people began to refuse paying taxes which contribute to war, bailouts, etc., and instead used all of that money to support charities or even more directly assist the poor and needy in their communities. If enough people were to do this, it would surely receive much attention, and bring to light how much good could be accomplished if people were allowed to use resources in the way they feel is best. People would begin to think about how the money is being used and if it could possibly be better used in other ways. Right now many people feel that government is a benefit to society, but this could be a big way to show that no government could be a much bigger benefit.
Additionally, I believe if it was undeniable that people were not just hoarding the money, but instead making a great impact on the lives of people in their communities, they would receive a large amount of support. Imagine the reaction if the government were to step in and arrest hundreds (or better yet, thousands) of people for their decision to support needy people in the community instead of unnecessary war. Instead of the public siding with government, it may be possible that the sympathies of the public would lie with the protesters who are actually improving society. It could cause people to begin to genuinely question the motives and intent behind the system.
I think if enough people committed to this idea of using civil disobedience not only to protest the current structure, but also to actively improve society at the same time, it could greatly increase public support and awareness.
My concern would be that the government would obviously try to put an end to this behavior before much impact could be made, and thus before much support could be raised. It would need to be organized in such a way that it any impact would be very noticeable from the moment it became known that this was going on.
Could something like this work to generate support and awareness among the general public?
