The government should be established to secure and protect life, liberty and the pursit of happiness and derive its power and consent from the governed. Amazing all these years that's how I thought our government worked with the consent and power from we the electorate! (The governed, thats us) I didn't realize we were living under a dictatorship.

Mr. Miller you really must think about "your every person for themself" philosophy. As I commented before there are 300 million people in the country now not several hundered thousand. Its great to think that everyone will get together and build roads etc but you know that is not realistic. Perhaps you should stop wishing for long ago yesterday and work toward making life better today for everyone.

Mr. Miller might find this opinion in the NY Times informative.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/12/opinion/sunday/friedman-we-need-a-second-party.html?

Unknowit, what do you think Jefferson meant by this? and why do you think he wrote it? "A government big enough to supply you with everything you need is a government big enough to take away everything that you have.... The course of history shows that as the government grows, liberty decreases." -Thomas Jefferson

Unknowit, I am getting the impression that you think I think there is no role for government in our society. thats not the case. There are common things the government should do, like roads. I'm not sure why the number of people in a country changes the principles we should strive to live by and liberty is liberty, whether for one or one million.

Mr. Miller,
One last question. Specifically what liberties have you lost as a result of government?

As a business owner, let me share with you what I am up against. The top federal personal tax rate is 35%, the self employment tax rate is 15.3% and the top California tax rate is 10.3%, if you do the math, that is, 60.3%. So, in order for a family to make enough money to live in the San Gabriel Valley, and the median income in our area being $86,606 annually, they would have to produce $143,600 in gross income. In order to generate $143,600 annually in a business, at a 10% profit margin, one would have to produce $1.43 million in sales. That is, $5,400 per day, or $675.00 per hour. I know few small businesses, which do that.

You asked which liberty I have lost personally. If I have an expected life span of 75.7years, this means I will give around 45 years of my life to the government and that is before I take into account property, sales and other government taxes and fees.

I am not including the fact, that the taxes we pay now do not cover what the government spends. I am also on the hook as an American for my share of the national debt, which stands at around $40,000 plus, per person. Share croppers were given 50% of the gain from their farm production. What I have described above is called serfdom.

PS. thanks for the engaging dialogue.

Mr. Miller,
I don't know what type of corporation you have but I do know that your assumptions are incorrect. Your tax rate after deductions is more than likely in the 20-25% area plus the California state tax on a net income of $86k. You claim that you must have gross sales of $1.43 million to generate a pretax gross of $143k that would mean your gross profit is only 10%. The GP (gross profit) generated on gross sales less all operating expenses equal your NOP (net operating profit). If your GP and gross sales are being taxed at the max rate you must have a very profitable and successful business.
For fun please look at the tax rates from yesterday and compare them to today. I think you will agree we are under taxed and yes overspent as a result of the recession and the circumstances which created it.(unfunded tax cuts, unfunded drug bill, unfunded wars, loss of revenue as a result of the recession and more.)
http://www.truthandpolitics.org/top-rates.php
Thank you for responding I look forward to your reply.

Mr. Miller,
The historical tax chart I put in the email expired. Please use this one.
Sorry

http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxfacts/displayafact.cfm?Docid=213

Thank you for the info. I will look at it.

Mr. Miller,
You will discover the current tax rate is the lowest since 1930 with the exception of the end of the Reagan term and Bush 41's term. Bush realized the tax rates were too low and raised them which as you will recall cost him the election but unlike his son he did the right thing for the country. Notice the rate under President Reagan, don't hear anyone complaining about that. As you can clearly see It took revenue to make this country the great nation it became under both Republican and Democratic Presidents and no one every claimed their freedom was being taken from them?
Again thanks for being a good sport, who knows you might come around and help get our great country the revenue it desperately needs because of reckless leadership by you know who.(Hint it wasn't Obama)

uknowit, it seems you are confusing the money that government spends, with TRUE WEALTH. The Government Does not have anything. The Government only has what it takes from YOU. Taxes do not generate wealth, it destroys it. This mentality that the Government is God and creates jobs and wealth is what is impoverishing US. No, the Government does not make NOTHING. Yes, It's INDIVIDUALS who create things, NOT THE GOVERNMENT. REMEMBER THAT UKNOWIT. -------------- RON PAUL FOR PRESIDENT 2012. RESTORE AMERICA!!

Btw, Great Article David. :)