Wanted: Robin Hood
Can I begin with an assumption – that you know the tale of Robin Hood and his merry men, robbing the rich to feed the poor? Assumptions are generally things I avoid, but in this case I’ll embrace it.
As the story goes, most of us side with the unlawful do-gooder. I have yet to find a cheering squad for the Sheriff of Nottingham, and/or (cause really they represent the same evil) Prince John. Perhaps one exists, but primarily, we all follow Robin Hood’s shady antics with delight. Recently, Joshua and I consumed (delightedly I might add) all three seasons of the British TV Drama – Robin Hood. There were some interesting adaptations to the tale (at least for the first season the hooded anti-villian refused to allow any of his men to kill the Sheriff’s men – they were husbands and fathers simply “doing their jobs”), but I’m actually not going to review the series. I mention it to develop a context – why am I seeking a Robin Hood figure? Because I’ve recently finished the chapter on taxation in Joel McDurmon’s book: Restoring America One County at a Time.
Warning: controversial.
Quite simply, Hood is the narrative’s opponent to the Sheriff, and here in America we have been under the Sheriff’s thumb for generations. Touted as a land of freedom, in all actuality, we are crippled by a greater taxation than that which caused our forefathers to rise up in revolution. And, in some of those cases, we are even less represented than they were.
True confession time. Prior to this book, I couldn’t have cared less about our taxes….and if I’m being honest, in some cases would have lauded taxes for the benefits they bring to me. Policemen, traffic lights, New Year’s fireworks displays – all good things. What I’m beginning to understand however is not that taxation is bad. It is that we in America are under the thumb of a “Sheriff system” which sees a need, problem, issue and immediately responds with – “levy a tax”. Sounds a bit like Prince John’s representative in Nottingham.
Which is why I’ve issued a warrant for Robin Hood, I’d like my money back – and more importantly, the freedom from taxation that accompanies it.
