Genesis of the "NO" Logo
In history there have been two basic forms of social organization: collectivism and individualism. In the 20th and 21st century, collective variations have included socialism, fascism, Nazism, and communism. Under collectivism, a ruling class of “intellectuals”, bureaucrats, politicians and/or social planners decides what people want or what is “good” for society and then uses the coercive power of the State to regulate, tax and redistribute wealth in an attempt to achieve their desired objectives. Individualism is a political and social philosophy that emphasizes individual liberty, belief in the primary importance of the individual and in the virtues of self-reliance and personal independence and responsibility. It embraces opposition to controls over the individual when exercised by the state. The Preamble to our Constitution makes it plain that all power rests originally with the people, as individuals.
The “O” within the circle represents collectivism in its various forms. The “N” represents an emphatic repudiation of collectivism. The red, white and blue circles encompassing the “NO” are emblematic of our Republic. It is the responsibility of the individuals in an engaged and enlightened republic to limit the influence of the government, especially one that attempts to wield power outside the boundaries delineated by the Constitution.
When a discriminating income tax is allowed to become the means of legal plunder, the spark of envy within the classes of men is fanned into a raging fire. No longer is the state able to restrain the fruits of covetousness; now it works to produce them. From the spark of envy to a conflagration of confiscation, the graduated income tax has led to democratic tyranny.
The progressive income tax has come upon us gradually. It began with a seemingly harmless maximum rate of 7 per cent. Yet within less than a generation, this rate climbed higher than 90 per cent. Of course “progressive” is a misnomer. “Aggressive” might be closer to the truth. But alas, perhaps “regressive” would be best, as this graduated tax policy has taken America back centuries—down the road to serfdom.
http://www.thefreemanonline.org/columns/the-outcome-of-the-income-tax/
This article was written more than 30 years ago. It is as relevant today as it was then.
