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RANDRHET


    RAND talks about 
    "slavery" a lot.                                                         
    Every form of coercion                                               
    gets labeled "slavery".  
                                                                        
                                                                        
       Taxpayers = slaves,                                              
       because they're                                                  
       forced to work for                                               
       causes they don't                                                
       necesarily believe in.                                            
                                                               
                                                            (May 13, 2003)
                 There are two                                            
                 troubles with           The rhetorical force               
                 taking this             it seems to have is               
                 kind of line.           largely effective only               
                                         on people who buy the               
                                         argument already.                    
    An opponent need not                                                     
    buy into your extreme                          On people who don't    
    definitions: the                               it sounds like     
    American taxpayer is                           extremist nonsense      
    not *precisely* a                              that most likely   
    slave.  All of our                             isn't worth              
    wealth is not taxed.     We might be           following up on.   
                             80% slaves.                                     
    Also we have a                                                      
    substantial                                         Being able to    
    amount of                                           win in court    
    choice in what                                      isn't enough:    
    work we do to                                       you also need    
    produce the                                         to make it into    
    taxed wealth.                                       the court room.      
    And in how much
    work we do.  

        The taxman has                                                      
        federal guns behind him.                                         
        The slavemaster has                                                  
        the overseer's whip.                                                 
                                                                               
        But that similarity                                                    
        shouldn't blind you  
        to real differences. 

                                                                           

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