Oil Changes and Government

Imagine for a moment that you have taken the family in the family car to the local Supercenter discount department store to do a little shopping and when you get there, by the looks of the parking lot, you find just about everyone else in town had the same idea. You get lucky and find an empty space near the Automotive service department. This is not the area for vehicles needing service, mind you, but just real close to it.

About an hour and a half later when you all leave the store with your purchases and are walking towards your conveyance, one of the mechanics from the garage walks up and tells you that you forgot to pay for the oil change he performed on your car. You tell him that you did not ask for or authorize anyone to work on your vehicle and you do not owe him for any "oil change." He tells you that if you do not pay he will be forced to call the police.

As you approach your car you note outloud that you and your spouse are the only ones who have keys to get inside so how could the mechanic have "popped" the hood release to even perform an "oil change." He says he is a mechanic and he has his ways to get past such security devices so you must trust him that he performed the service and you owe him money.

You have a look under the hood yourself and mention that the same old oil filter is still attached and looks as dirty as the last time you saw it. He says he never said he changed the filter, which is technically correct, and that he only said he changed the oil. He muse to yourself what a stupid move that would be since the fresh oil would be come dirty just because of the old filter.

The mechanic reaches into his pocket and withdraws a cell phone. He warns you that he is prepared to call the police right now if you don't pay him what you owe him right now. Your spouse suggests you pay him what he wants just to shut him up and make him go away.

How would you feel? Incensed? Violated like you are the victim of some crime? How did you feel last April 15th?

This is how government works. It tells you that it has performed a service for you, usually some kind of protection for which you did not request or consent to them doing so, and then sends you the bill telling you that you owe it for "services rendered."

So the next time someone tells you that you have to pay taxes because its what you "owe," tell them you don't owe anybody anything and you just pay what they want to shut them up and make them go away...