After the French and Indian War, the British Empire was close to bankruptcy. As such, the Parliament hoped to raise revenue for the government by imposing taxes on goods in the Colonies. As anyone with a basic understanding of United States history can recall, the colonies despised this action.
The rally call for revolution soon spread around the fledgling conglomerate of insurgent states like wildfire, a slogan coined by James Otis in 1761, that would change the world forever:
NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION.
This is ironic for a plethora of reasons.
in the modern-day United States, this belief of having a voice in the government on whether you should be taxed has fallen by the wayside, at least, for very specific parts of the population.
First, those working under the age of 18 in the United States pay taxes, but they can not vote in elections. This is a fundamental abuse of power, and it is a tad bit hypocritical on the part of the United States government, a government that prides itself on “liberty and justice for all.”
Another principle held within our present social contract in this country is the idea of “Consent of the Governed.” First mused about by John Locke in his Second Treatise of Government, “Consent of the Governed” ensures the blessings of liberty remain secure for ourselves and our posterity. Furthermore, in Section 140, John Locke mentions:
For if any one shall claim a power to lay and levy taxes on the people, by his own authority, and without such consent of the people, he thereby invades the fundamental law of property, and subverts the end of government: for what property have I in that, which another may by right take, when he pleases, to himself?
Thus, Locke defines the extents of the power of the government within the scope of the social contract that the people have entered and agreed to. However, working people under the age of 18 have had no such opportunity to agree or disagree to this social contract by being denied the right to vote. With their voices silent, these people have been subjected to the overreaching-hand of a government that does not represent them or their ideas.
A man all too used to this narrative, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., had something to say about the government passing laws without the consent of the people. In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, he stated, “A law is unjust if it is inflicted on a minority that, as a result of being denied the right to vote, had no part in enacting or devising the law.” In other words, it is possible to conclude that the tax code is unfair to people working under the age of 18, as they had no part in creating the law.
Understanding that taxing people without giving them a voice in the legislative branch is paramount to understand that this same reasoning can be extended to the citizens of Guam and Puerto Rico.
As per the tax code, Puerto Ricans, “pay Social Security, Medicare, import, export and commodity taxes. Their federal tax bills add up to more than $3 billion a year.” Yet, even in 2018, the inhabitants of the island are forbidden from raising concerns in the federal government as they can not vote for Senators, Representatives, or the President. The same predicament affects the people of Guam; who have the highest percentage of enlisted citizens as compared to their population. Interestingly enough, both Guamanians and Puerto Ricans can be drafted during times of war. This means these people have to go along with the whim of a men or women who they had no chance of voting for.
In the end, the same democratic principals that served as the catalyst for the Revolutionary War have been forgotten. The same principals of freedom and equality before the law are null and void in the cases of those working under the age of 18, the residents of Guam, and Puerto Ricans. The United States preaches “consent of the governed” across the world, resulting in wars in Korea and Vietnam, but denies this fundamental right to so many of her citizens.
This is not a democracy.
This is tyranny.
Sources:
- https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/250-years-ago-today-no-taxation-without-representation/
- 2. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/7370/7370-h/7370-h.htm
- http://kingencyclopedia.stanford.edu/kingweb/popular_requests/frequentdocs/birmingham.pdf
- https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/25/us/puerto-rico-hurricane-american.html
- http://www.twn.org/catalog/guides/WarForGuam_PressKit.pdf
I like the approach that you’re taking, but this is only one side of the argument: It is not fair for workers under the age of 18 to pay taxes when they do not have the right to vote and help shape the Government. I think you should at least include the other side of the argument, even if you do not agree with it. It is only fair to do that. Besides that, I believe that this is definitely an important issue to discuss and I like how you started off with an historical event that eventually lead to the main issue at hand.
I thought this blog was very interesting and well written. I like how you moved across centuries and pulled examples from the founding of our country to the 1960s to more modern times. It really helped to show that the issue and perception of freedom and equality is something that continues to be a problem and has been from the start of the United States. I thought it was interesting and a smart decision how you chose to focus on 18 year olds and US territories. Often when we think of issues in terms of equality, people focus on smaller subgroups and forget that there are large encompassing groups such as territories and minors included also. I’m excited to read more!
First of all, I actually didn’t know that Guam was a U.S. territory so I guess you learn something new everyday! I enjoyed how you began with a historical event that everyone knows about (No taxation without representation) and brought it forward to the present day. Sometimes I think that people associate the phrase with Washington D.C. and forget that it extends to larger territories and demographics as well. I love how you have related your civic issues blog to your heritage and personal beliefs! I look forward to reading more.