Issue 40.16
Among the inalienable rights originally outlined in the Declaration of Independence, the right to control of one’s property and to not be interfered with in that arena was both important and difficult to explain in a brief manner. In the final draft, property considerations were rolled into the phrase “pursuit of happiness” in the interest of brevity and a desire not to be side-tracked in the more important cause of stating that all people were blessed by God with unalienable or undeniable rights that cannot and should not be taken away for any reason.
There were multiple reasons why the word property was removed before that final draft. There was concern that some would feel they had a right to property that they had not earned. The founders were very strong in the idea that the government should not and could not provide property to the citizens – that they would need to create or improve property by their own efforts. There were considerations that some of what was then considered property was not condoned by God. Examples are that slaves, wives and children were considered property by the traditions of the day. Jefferson and many others recognized in their private and public writings that this thinking could not justifiably continue if they were to eventually come into integrity with the concepts that all men are created equal under the law (including women and slaves) and that all of them were endowed with unalienable rights regardless of status, race or gender. They also knew that it would have to be a gradual change or it would not be supported. All of these things are evident when reading other resources of the time.
The principles of a right to control one’s property became even more evident in the Bill of Rights. The second amendment defended the right to own arms. The third allowed homeowners to not house soldiers without their consent even if the government thought they needed it. The fourth amendment states, “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects (property) against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the person or things to be seized.” The fifth amendment states…”nor be deprived of life, liberty or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.” With these citations and other evidences in the writings of the founders, it is clear that the right to control our own property is one of the most sacred concepts in their minds.
If you do not own or control your property, income, estates and wealth, the other unalienable rights become almost meaningless. If you do not have the means to provide food and shelter for those in your care, all are doomed to servitude and control by outside persons or organizations and liberty disappears in the face of tyranny. One of the reasons those who wanted to tax personal income were thwarted at every turn is this very concept and these amendments. The Supreme Court turned back every effort to give control over individual property and wealth to the government. That is why it took the 16th Amendment to create the Income Tax – they had to change the Constitution to infringe on that unalienable right to control our own property. The rapid expansion of that tax (originally only 1% of the income of the top 1% of the citizens) has brought us to a point where the income tax is used to socially engineer society and extort money from one group of citizens for the benefit of another group. This would usually be called extortion, embezzlement or theft, but we have been conditioned to allow it, flying in the face of our unalienable rights.
The assault on our liberty continues with the IRS, taxes and other fees that would be unnecessary if the federal government returned to only performing the tasks laid for it in the Constitution. Only by rescinding the 16th Amendment and other associated laws can we return to a place where our property is respected and our rights upheld. I am not in favor of refusing to support the rightful and constitutional government. But we can do so without funding the bread and circuses they use to keep the masses entertained and docile while continuing to take what they want from all of us and spend what they take on things that benefit them and their power.
Lynn West is a thinker, a teacher and a patriot. You can reach him through email at forgingthefuture2021@gmail.com or through this newspaper. Liberty is a state of being which must be continually created. These articles can help all of us discover the ways we can contribute to that outcome.