Beech Tree News Network

In Jesus' day the movers and shakers were the Scribes and Pharisees, the Priests and the Levites (All Levites were not priests, but all priests were Levites), the tax collectors and the regional governors . . . the RULING CLASS. Today we would compare them to the bureaucracy of our federal and state governments. We have a democracy and a constitution, which if not guarded and monitored closely can be walked on (It has been in the past) and ignored. That's why Democracy is sort of like Faith, it must be tended to constantly. You can't put it on automatic pilot and forget it. In Jesus' day common people had no due process or redress concerning the law. We do. But we can't go merrily on our way and forget it . . . assuming it will be taken care of.

Vigilance dictates to us that too often federal and state bureaucracies couch their skullduggery in terms of gobblegook that John Q. Public (That's you and me) can't possibly understand. The reason being: THEY DON'T WANT US TO. "Let's keep 'em guessing---keep the geese blindfolded so they won't suspect anything until their GOOSE IS COOKED.

Here is an example of one state legislature explaining the tax burden with which it had unduly saddled on its citizens: ARBITRARILY ASSUMING THAT 20 PERCENT OF THE SEVERANCE TAX BURDEN WAS FELT WITHIN THE STATE, WE SUBTRACTED 80 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL SEVERANCE TAX RECEIPTS FROM TOTAL STATE AND LOCAL TAX REVENUES, AND USED THE RESULTS IN CALCULATING STATE TAX BURDEN AS A PROPORTION OF THE NATIONAL AVERAGE. Say what?? That's about as clear as a hog-waller.

Once I remember a proposition on the election ballot, out of the Kentucky Legislature. Two fellows read with me the proposal. "That sounds good to me," one of them said . . . "I don't have a problem voting for that."

The other fellow agreed. I asked them if they were sure, and if they had read the last sentence of the last paragraph carefully. They hadn't. Then they did, then both said that no way in the world they would vote for that. Why wasn't the last sentence and paragraph put in the very front of the proposition as the first sentence and the first paragraph? We know the answer. We know that anything couched in secrecy and deception is a LIE.

In Jesus' day the people had no redress when it came to tax collectors. They were hated people---as you know. Let me hasten to say that any good citizen is willing to pay a fair share of tax. But you and I both know that at times they are excessive. A friend of mine who runs a garage was forced to buy an apparatus to capture Freon from an automobile AC system and put it back. It cost an arm and a leg. He of course paid state sales tax on the purchase. Then the state of Kentucky turns around and charges him a "USAGE TAX" on the machine. Is that to swindle or what? Keep in mind that any "fee," "levy," or "license" is a TAX. The Federal Government calls it a "contribution."

But when the government cheats, most folks don't seem to think much about it. It's called, THE MYSTERIOUS MULTIPLIER. Here's the way that works. If one individual cheats another individual, the cheat-ee is ready to take the cheat-er to "fist city." When wrong comes from a higher level, we tend to think it's OK. I hear folks, "The government knows what they are doing, I trust them." Bless those folks; they've got their heads so far in the sand they can see China. DANGEROUS.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran minister in Germany when Hitler came to power said, "When the Nazis came for the Jews, I said nothing; I belonged to no union. When they came for the Gypsies, I said nothing; I was not a Gypsy. But when they came for me, IT WAS TOO LATE TO SAY ANYTHING."

If you want to see China, go to China.

Trail tip number 19: If you hang one foot in the stirrup and one in the gate, holler WOE! A-lot.

Kindest regards . . .