Thread Hijack of Charles Thomas Clayton

[JamesVincent]

If you wanted to count ex government several of us worked for the Federal government by serving in the United States military. Ironically all but one of us that I remember serving were Army. The other was Navy. None of which has anything to do with the thread that was hijacked or anything to do with anything.

I flew airplanes in the Air Force. Now I'm a CPA in the civilian world.

Sadly, because I retired from Active Duty at field grade officer rank (field grade is Major through Colonel) and took care of myself (no disability rating), I'm not entitled to Veteran's Preference points should I want to apply for a federal job.

For some reason I had remembered you talking about the Army. Apologies.

[Prof]

I'm one of the Army guys, 2 years active duty (Ft. Bragg) and S.C. Nat'l Guard while in law school, and, for a while in the mid 80's, I worked for the U.S. Courts. I also held teaching appointments at Ole Miss and Coastal Carolina (S.C.), so both of those were government jobs but on the state level.

[Quixote]

I am paid by the government to work against the government. I spend most of my time prying refunds from the grip of the bureaucracy.

[rogfulton]

Actually, I do work for a government but not, I suspect, in a role our troll was contemplating.

[The Dog]

I used to work for the British Government. Strictly, as a Civil Servant, I worked for the Queen, an important but subtle distinction (but probably worse in the eyes of sovs). I never had anything to do with tax collection.

[Burnaby49]

I used to work for the British Government. Strictly, as a Civil Servant, I worked for the Queen, an important but subtle distinction (but probably worse in the eyes of sovs). I never had anything to do with tax collection.

Check the post I made on the same issue last year. The Queen's reach extends well past the shores of Albion; she is also the largest employer in Canada. Since I worked as a tax collector I was probably bringing in the bucks on behalf of her majesty.


viewtopic.php?f=8&t=7827&p=144112&hilit=queen#p144112

[Randall]

I'm a taxpayer, does that count? Otherwise I'm a lowly CFO in private industry.

[Pantherphil]

Four years active duty as a USAF JAG (1976-1980), four years active reserve, 12 years inactive reserve and 33 years in the private practice of law representing individuals. I do pro bono work for the Volunteer Tax Assistance Project representing taxpayers in disputes with the IRS. I am admitted to the U.S. Tax Court but seldom have to appear there as most of my tax disputes have been resolved without need of litigation.

[wserra]

Perhaps travis is getting the picture: far more Quatloosians oppose the government professionally than support it professionally.

Since it's travis, though, probably not.

[Famspear]

Perhaps travis is getting the picture: far more Quatloosians oppose the government professionally than support it professionally.

Since it's travis, though, probably not.

The subconscious "thought process" (if you want to call it that) of some Wackadoosters goes something like this:

1. When I was little, Mommie (or Daddy) made me follow rules that I felt were unfair. I have never completely resolved the conflict with Mommie, and I am therefore bitter about certain Authority Figures.

2. Ranting and raving about Authority Figures and the rules I consider to be unfair is a way of continuing to fight my infantile battle with Mommie.

3. Therefore, I don't like (pick a topic and fill in the blank: federal tax liabilities, driver's license requirements, having to pay back the loan I received to buy my house, evil international banksters, government regulation in general, etc., etc.).

4. Therefore, the laws that impose or prescribe these things are "wrong."

5. Because the laws that impose these things are wrong, the laws must somehow be "invalid."

6. People who work for the government contradict me by saying that these laws are valid, and by enforcing these laws.

7. People who work for the government are therefore bad.

8. Experts (lawyers, CPAs, etc.) who do not work for the government and who actually oppose the government professionally also contradict me by saying that these laws are valid.

9. Even the experts who oppose the government professionally must therefore also be bad; since I can't figure out why the experts contradict me, I think I'll rationalize this by saying that these experts are just trying to protect their own economic interests.

10. The judges who rule that these laws are valid are bad, and they rule the way they do because the government pays them.

11. It's a big conspiracy, and it's soooooo unfair......

[Pottapaug1938]

Two other factors come into play.

The first is the "it's a free country!" line which most children hear at some point, as when my son was getting harrassed by the girl across the street and asked her to stop. Most people ventually grow up, but some grow up thinking that "it's a free country" means that "I don't have to do anything that I don't want to do"; and when they are confronted with something which they are expected to do but don't want to do it, they search frantically for some excuse to justify their refusal.

The other is "reverse elitism". I've heard many people express distrust of experts, usually along the lines of "why should I listen to him/her? He/she probably went to some fancy-pants sissy elitist liberal school somewhere where they talk all fancy but don't have the common sense that God gave a goose, and they probably don't believe in God either." They won't listen to someone who has been an expert on Constitutional Law for most of his/her professional life; but they'll listen to a dyspeptic radio talk show host or a turkeyneck preacher because they are "one of us, and aren't all snooty and hoity-toity".

[Famspear]

Two other factors come into play.

The first is the "it's a free country!" line which most children hear at some point, as when my son was getting harrassed by the girl across the street and asked her to stop. Most people ventually grow up, but some grow up thinking that "it's a free country" means that "I don't have to do anything that I don't want to do".....

Yes, the line that comes immediately to my mind is the bitter, defiant rant by the ex-con, Larken Rose:

"You're not the boss of me...."

I suspect that Larken wasn't aware of the impression he was giving when he published this childish line in one of his internet postings some time back.....

In every utterance a speaker or writer unknowingly tells us a great deal about himself of which he is entirely unaware.

--Walter C. Langer, The Mind of Adolf Hitler: The Secret Wartime Report, p. 147 (Basic Books Inc. 1972).