Activist Sheehan says she has court date today for refusing to pay taxes

[Newsjock]

Source: Sacramento Bee

Anti-war crusader Cindy Sheehan said she will appear in federal court today to defend her decision not to pay taxes.

"I refuse to fund the empire's crimes and wars," Sheehan said in a press release. "I feel a certain amount of guilt that my taxes were used to murder my own son."

... Her website says that she has been asked to appear in court by the U.S. Attorney on behalf of the Internal Revenue Service.

She also called for a rally in conjunction with a news conference at 10:30 a.m. at the federal courthous, 501 I St. Her hearing is scheduled for 11 a.m.

Read more: http://blogs.sacbee.com/crime/archives/2012/04/activist-sheehan-says-she-has-court-date-today-for-refusing-to-pay-taxes.html

[brooklynite]

1. If this were a "sovereign citizen" protesting taxation for social policy spending...

...we'd be criticizing her heavily. She doesn't deserve a break because people may agree with her military/foreign policy positions.

The "Enemy of my enemy" isn't always my friend...

[EFerrari]

11. Yes, if there were a comparison, there would be a comparison

but there isn't.

[Comrade Grumpy]

30. Sheehan is taking a principled stand is ready to accept the consequences.

I mean, I assume she is ready to accept the consequences. I don't know, but this looks like classic civil disobedience. Good for her.

[bluedigger]

2. Everybody has a right to protest and accept the consequences.

The Feds sure are giving her all the due process she can handle - three whole days in arrears?

[Gregorian]

4. That's not going to go well. I totally agree with her. But it only works when everyone does it.

Standing alone in protest of this kind is like suicide.

Crap. I really support what she's doing. Half a trillion every single year towards evil.

Think of what we could do with half a trillion per year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Snake Alchemist]

5. Snipes and Sheehan star in Blade 4.

They discover that the IRS is run by evil vampires, and are on the run from their nosferatu agents.

[4th law of robotics]

6. Most of our taxes go towards non-military spending

and a good chunk of military spending is for paying salaries that would have to be paid regardless, veterans benefits, research, and a thousand other little things.

It would make more sense to figure out what percentage of her taxes are going towards the war effort and not pay that percentage.

[JustAnotherGen]

7. Um

Not really - go to White House.gov.

Type in your income/amount you paid in taxes for 2011.

In our case - we paid $32K of our salary towards defense spending. I think that was 28% of our taxes. The largest/lionshare.

[4th law of robotics]

13. US federal budget for 2011 has department of defense at 19%

Even assuming that's a lowball estimate that is far from a majority.

On top of that 47% of our tax revenue came from individual taxes (the kind Mrs. Sheehan is not paying).

[JustAnotherGen]

16. Well played

I think she should only pay for Veteran Benes. I was sick when I saw how little we have paid in for them - with the Time Bombs of Agents Orange, Pink, White, Green and blue getting ready to blow in our Vietnam Era vets.

[4th law of robotics]

17. Yeah, that's why I'm always careful

when discussing cuts to the military budget (which needs to be cut) to exclude those benefits.

Regardless of your thoughts on the wars they fought in they deserve their benefits.

[EFerrari]

21. That budget is for the Defense Department,

not the sum of defense or "security" spending, though. Does it even include war funding?

[4th law of robotics]

22. Paying interest, social security, and medicaid/care account for about half our total budget

meaning that it's pretty unlikely the military accounts for most of our federal spending (if it did that means we'd spend money on literally nothing else, no food stamps, no roads, no public education, no federal courts, etc).

And of that budget only about half comes from personal income taxes.

[EFerrari]

25. Or, it could mean that every year we go into debt. Which we do. n/t

[4th law of robotics]

29. Yes we do, with few exceptions

but we are also not putting more than half our budget towards the military.

[24601]

26. If 28% of your taxes equal $32,000, then you paid over $114,000 on taxes and must be

daing quite. Even better is that was tax on capital gains. Congratulations. Are you in the minority that is doing better financially than 4 years ago?

[TreasonousBastard]

8. Well, good luck to her, but...

war tax resistors have never had an easy day of it.

I spent some time and bucks a while back helping some fellow Quakers who refused to pay for the military. They never made it to jail like some others did, but their case was turned down by every court and never reviewed by the Supremes. Had to pay or they would have landed in the slam.

[NeedleCast]

9. Whether Liberal or Conservative, Not Paying Your Taxes in "Protest" Is Silly

You don't get to allocate the areas your tax money goes to. If you want to hold your nose and pretend that all YOUR money went to entitlement spending, do that.

If this was a conservative saying they weren't going to pay taxes because they didn't want them wasted on medicare and handouts, we'd be ripping them apart.

Annoying martyr is annoying.

[EFerrari]

12. Let every man make known what kind of government would command his respect,

and that will be one step toward obtaining it. -- Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience

http://publicliterature.org/books/civil_disobedience/1

[4th law of robotics]

14. "Taxes are the price we pay for civilization."

[EFerrari]

20. Or in our case, they're the tribute we pay the Pentagon

who graciously allows us to use their leftovers for civilization.

[4th law of robotics]

23. That's hyperbole

I've already pointed out how the majority of your tax dollars are *not* being sent to the pentagon.

Is our military budget too high?

Yes.

Is it the majority of our total budget?

No.

[taught_me_patience]

10. Unfortunatelly, this is a good way to get your property seized

but I guess she is willing to accept the consequences of her actions.

[RebelOne]

24. You are right.

The IRS can seize everything you own.

[Mosby]

15. she wants to be a martyr

At this point I kinda feel sorry for her.

[snooper2]

18. Is Code Pink going to be there to rally in the courtroom?

[Ohio Joe]

19. Refusing to pay taxes will not end well

Right or wrong will not matter.

[BadtotheboneBob]

27. There it is...

... a no-win proposition.

[JNelson6563]

28. Well, that's one way to stay in the news.

And continue to accomplish nothing. Well done, I guess?

[midnight]

31. I suppose the hearing is still in session.... Keep us posted-Thanks.