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Have things really gotten that bad? → U.S. government is cruel, despotic, a threat to people → robbing the public and spending irresponsibly → bloated military budget

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More of what you’ll be paying for next year if you pay U.S. taxes: a 7% increase in defense spending. Must be more of that fiscal conservativism I’ve heard about. Oh, and that doesn’t count $50 billion more that Dubya wants for Iraq and Afghanistan.

Remember that $472 billion in this year’s budget for defense, nuke research, and war mop-up? What a coincidence — we’re going to be running a $477 billion deficit this year. Also: How to defeat the U.S. Army in your underpants; The White House transcripts of “Iraq: Denial and Deception”; and really — you don’t have to live in a cave to live under the tax line.

The U.S. spends as much on its arsenal as the rest of the world combined on theirs — and next year, its military budget is expected to rise by another 10%. Also: C.S. Lewis on the path to scoundrelism.

Mennonites, atom bombs, Borgen values, unconventional thinking, and gasoline taxes (oh my!)

Paul Loeb tells activists not to get discouraged, because the impossible may take a little while. Also: how you can take billions of dollars out of the U.S. treasury and give it back to the poor people it was stolen from — and how you can get the government to show you how it’s done! And Sean Corrigan shows how the military budget tracks the trade deficit, and shows the correlations with the budget deficit, the mental deficit and the moral deficit.

Yet more newsprint devoted to war tax resistance. Also: the War Resisters League issues their annual pie chart showing “Where Your Income Tax Money Really Goes.”

Warning — rampant government spending miscellany ahead! Everything you wanted to know about the budget and more.

The feds have a record-setting tax intake day — no thanks to many federal employees and contractors. Also: what happened when the libertarians and the leftists got together to fight against the Vietnam war?

The new NWTRCC newsletter features articles about Brian Willson, Russell Kanning, and the dilemma for activist nonprofits who have to decide whether to be tax-exempt and put up with the additional government restrictions that entails. Also: a look at the new generation of nonviolent revolution think-tanks. And: the military and its wars are costing more this year than at the peak of the Vietnam war (and hundreds of billions of that spending are being “borrowed,” quietly, from the Social Security trust fund).

More details about how the I.R.S. is using private collection agencies. Also: just how big is the “defense” budget? And: how Popular Science reported the roll-out of the I.R.S.’s newfangled data processing system (the one they’re still using today) when it first came on-line in the early 1960s.

I explore Thoreau’s admiration for war and soldiers, as expressed in his journals and in “The Service.”

The opportunity costs of the warfare state, taxpayers who write off their hobbies as money-losing businesses, part three of Dave Ridley’s jail memoirs, and an upcoming feature-length documentary about the “Peace Tax Seven.”

Help blockade the I.R.S. headquarters in Washington on March 19th. Also: the IRS went for a high-profile tax season tax conviction, rolled the dice, and it came up snake-eyes. And: Wendy McElroy sees frugality as a blood sport. Also: NTodd sees tax resistance as the least we can do. And: taking a closer look at the latest U.S. military budget.

A look back at the Milgram Experiment, including interviews with some of its unwitting subjects. Also: Fred Reed worries that the U.S. military is becoming more insulated from mainstream America at the same time as it is becoming more powerful and more independent.

Another “final notice of intent to levy” from the I.R.S. Also: a self-loathing tax resister grovels at veterans for Armistice Day. And: a Defense Department panel presses for big cuts in military spending (uh, wha?!). Also: with the Democrats taking over, the pro-lifers are contemplating tax resistance.

The rules of taxpatriatism have changed (here are the details). Also: the news media were used by the military-industrial complex (wait… aren’t they part of the military-industrial complex?). And: yep, the Pentagon is wasting tons of your money. Also: Bureaucrash sponsors a Stop Wars project that’d be perfect for young war tax resister provocateurs. And: a new alternative currency system sprouts up, a sort of technologically-advanced Time Dollar.

Tax resistance on Facebook, U.S. leads the world in arms exports, the coming expansion of the U.S military, the celebrity endorsement of the guy who threw his shoe at Dubya, a disturbing new look at “Deep Throat”, the rise of the informal economy, alternative currencies in Argentina, and the five developmental stages on the way to a life of Active Peace.

I’m being very urban homesteader, Francois Tremblay is examining taxpayer complicity, Steven Schallert is exploring war tax resistance, Murray Rothbard writes about nonviolent resistance and the insights of Étienne de La Boétie, Carl Watner reexamines the Whiskey Rebellion, two Cato Institute scholars worry that we might be the U.S. military’s next target, the Church of the Brethren remembers war tax resisters Phil & Louise Rieman, the Taxpayer Advocate says it costs Americans $200 billion just to do their taxes (not including what it costs to pay them), the local paper notices that it’s way way cheaper to take the bus than to drive, alternative currencies enjoy some limelight, Europeans reject military spending, but the U.S. spends upwards of $50 billion a year just on its nuclear weapons program. Whew.

The American anti-war movement points out how bloated military spending is hobbling the economy. Also: how do depictions of war tax resisters in the media resemble the real-life experiences of resisters?

Are American conservatives ready to “go Galt” rather than pay taxes to the Obama administration? Also: the Pentagon uses tax dollars to lobby Congress to fund porkish weapons programs. And: when war tax resistance comes up at a Quaker Meeting, one attendee decides that maybe it’s time to make it happen in a big way.

A review of Kevin Carson’s “Studies in Mutualist Political Economy.” Also: another bar-chart visualization of federal discretionary budget priorities. And: Julia & Abby Smith’s house still stands (and is a national historic landmark).

A whole buncha links: updates on the Peace Tax Seven, the U.S. torture policy, San Francisco’s Tea Party, E.I.T.C. fraud, the upcoming military budget, tax resistance during the Great Depression, underground economy as tax resistance, war tax resistance in the Basque country, getting creative with traditional-to-Roth IRA transfers, and when it comes to war crimes saying you were just following orders is no excuse (says Dubya).

More on the IRS software modernization fiasco. Also: waste and fraud in military spending boondoggles: it’s not a bug, it’s a feature. And: some excerpts from Clarence Lee Swartz’s “What is Mutualism?” (1927). Also: more details about that federal grand jury subpoena for personal details about everyone who commented at a newspaper’s website about an ongoing tax protester trial. And: a letter you can send to politicians to tell them why, after Proposition 8, you’re not paying your California state taxes anymore.

The English peasant’s revolt, increased I.R.S. enforcement budget, a crackdown on “hobby losses,” denying business licenses to people behind on their taxes, a visualization of world military expenditures, and more about John Patric a.k.a. Hugo N. Frye. Also: voodoo dolls as a tax resistance tactic.

If your progressive friends aren’t war tax resisters yet, this Daily Kos post and Chris Hedges column might push them over the edge. Also: the Mennonite Central Committee sets up a fund for people who want to redirect their tax dollars toward undoing some of the harm in Afghanistan. And: another flashback to the beginnings of the modern American war tax resistance movement.

A closer look at the next U.S. military budget. Also: a campaign to shine a brighter light on businesses that profit from contributing to war and violent conflict. And: Greek kiosk owners strike to protest a tax hike.

Economy in the toilet? Running out of money for teachers, roads, and so forth? Maybe you should think of all the cash you’re blowing up every day in the Middle East. And: an interview with nonviolent resistance scholar Gene Sharp. Also: the drug warriors claim they’re going to seize 103% of the cocaine on earth this year. And: government shutdown? we should be so lucky.

Did you get me anything for “Support the Pentagon Day”? Also: the Irish resistance refuses to pay the “police tax” in 1884. And: the I.R.S. cracks down on phone tax resisters in 1968.

A new, searchable database of global, historical examples of nonviolent action comes on-line. Also: a Ron Paul Republican decides to shrug. And: trying to put America’s cancerous military spending on the agenda of the defcit committee… and the climate change activist movement.

The Marine Corps sells servility by calling it pride; tough economic times everywhere but D.C.; budget cuts at the I.R.S. are good news for us; and the million Americans who might be alive today if we’d spent the money on our wars-of-choice differently.

You can help keep an eye on the government revolving door. The opportunity costs of the warfare state. A Coherent Philosophy in verse. How the 1% got there. Developing derring-do. Greeks hang their unpaid tax bills on a Christmas tree. An Argentine Congresswoman leads a toll strike. A Catholic Worker in London refuses to pay his civil disobedience fine. And Carl Watner introduces the voluntaryist case against taxation.

The next NWTRCC national gathering will be in Chicago this May, coinciding with the NATO/G8 summit protests. Also: some facts and graphs about the 2012 U.S. military budget. And: the National Prison Divestment Campaign wants you to make sure your money isn’t invested in mass imprisonment. Also: the I.R.S. gets a turd in the mail.

Cindy Sheehan forces the I.R.S. to blink. A look inside NWTRCC’s latest newsletter. Yesterday’s “Pull the Pork (from the Pentagon)” protests. War tax resisters Francesc García Barberà and Amy Wachspress. And the I.R.S. use of civilian informers.

Have things really gotten that bad? → U.S. government is cruel, despotic, a threat to people → robbing the public and spending irresponsibly

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For the typical American, there have been 74 days this year where every cent earned went directly to Congress. Compare this to the 30 days it takes to earn enough to buy food for the year. Also: A reform-minded Mexican mayor abolishes traffic and parking fines to fight police corruption.

As the April 15th income tax deadline approaches, the news media are full of stories about how the government takes and spends our money.

How would you balance the government’s budget? We’ve got the numbers for you and the web’s got an interactive application — give it a shot and see if you can succeed where Congress fails. Also: the first of this tax-season’s war tax resistance articles start to hit the press.

If you’re still interested in reading about Abu Ghraib, I can point you in the direction of a good set of words on the subject.

The C.I.A. denies that it plans to issue a report speculating on an alternate history in which Saddam was allowed to build up weapons of mass destruction for the next four years. Also: the Democrats rehabilitate the Vietnam War; there is no peace candidate in this election and that’s a good thing (says Kerry’s military affairs advisor); don’t torture or kill prisoners of war if you’re a U.S. soldier or you might get a terrible slap right on the wrist; where is all that money going in Iraq?; and has a second superpower grown up to challenge the imperial United States right under its nose?

So the party of war and big government finishes up their political convention… woah… deja vu. Also: Another wrist-slap meted out by military court martial.

Simon Heywood of Peace Tax Seven responds to my critique of the “peace tax” campaign. Also: You remember the U.S., right: the Starbucks of world arms merchants? Now it’s going through bullets so fast in Iraq that it has to go shopping in Canada to keep up with the demand. And: what would happen if capital goods depreciation were reduced to one year: A tax resister paradise or just a privatized Keynesian boondoggle?

From Israel to Vietnam to Iraq to Git’mo: the news in brief.

How even well-meaning people can become paralyzed by plausible deniability and helplessness. Also: here’s a cost-benefit analysis for you — for a third of what Bush wants to spend on his war this year, we could prevent a number of AIDS cases larger than the entire population of Iraq. And: Congress tries to come up with ways to take more money from us without actually “raising taxes.”

Warning — rampant government spending miscellany ahead! Everything you wanted to know about the budget and more.

Dubya has the tools at his disposal to stop or slow gluttonous Congressional spending, but he just whistles. Also: Ward Churchill, meet Colonel Harry F. Cunningham. And: more tax wonkery than you can shake a pencil at.

Members of Colorado’s Bijou community live under the tax line so as not to pay for war. The Fellowship of Reconciliation signs on to A Call to Resist. War tax resister Susan van Haitsma looks at the military recruiter in each of us. And conservative anti-pork reports are full of good reasons to resent taxation.

Will the last libertarian who thinks the Democratic Party at least stands for peace and the defense of civil liberties please buy a beer for the last libertarian who thinks the Republican Party at least stands for smaller government?

Wouldn’t it be an eye opener if each American taxpayer’s dollars got matched up one-for-one with line-items in the U.S. budget, and each taxpayer got an annual report of exactly where those dollars got spent? Congratulations Mr. Doe, you spent all those extra hours on the job last year so that you could help Senator Stevens bring a $1.5 million bus stop to his state.

A Picket Line grab-bag with plenty of news of government waste and advice on how you can save your skin by ignoring the reasonable voice of authority.

Have you heard the one about the anti-bureaucracy agency? Also: is the Iraq war a fiasco or a moral failure? And: If the U.S. has captured or killed 50,000 insurgents recently, how big is this insurgency anyway? And: putting a price tag on your moral autonomy (sounds crass, but it beats giving it away for free). Also: legalizing alcohol reduces drunk driving (I wonder if this logic might apply elsewhere).

Can you stand even more about Dubya’s tax panel proposals? Also: that sound you hear is the heads of small-government conservatives exploding.

More on the I.R.S.’s new W-4 strategy, debates about the size of the tax gap (and some ideas on how to increase it), and the I.R.S. loses in court yet again while trying to close the flat-rate long distance loophole.

If Dubya gets his wish for more tax incentives for Health Savings Accounts, it will be a great day for tax resisters like me. Also: how much money does the government “spend” by giving tax breaks? And: updates on the “tax gap” and the future of tax reform. Also: Irwin Schiff’s lawyers plead insanity on his behalf. And: Dead-Eye Dick Cheney brags that the government is bringing in more tax money than ever.

Robin Brookes paid his taxes and made his point at the same time. Also: The Ripple Project goes live — is this the alternative currency we’ve been waiting for? And: Scott Ritter’s tough-love message for the anti-war movement.

Dave Ridley recounts his protest at the I.R.S. office in Nashua, New Hampshire. Also: the 2007 “Death and Taxes” chart, which graphically shows where your taxes go, has just been released. And: the Eleventh International Conference on War Tax Resistance and Peace Tax Campaigns is coming up in Woltersdorf, Germany.

By privatizing government agencies, Congress can fund the very companies that turn around and donate to their campaigns. Pretty slick. Also: just how desperate is the military for recruits? Radar magazine finds out (and posts the phone transcripts).

Creative people-powered solutions that use cooperation and free market incentives rather than coercion and big government to help solve environmental problems and encourage more efficient use of resources — that’s the Carrotmob. Also: checking in on this year’s three big war tax resistance campaigns. And: the I.R.S. wastes our money but wins a lawsuit. Also: take a page from Dubya’s playbook and add a “signing statement” to your tax return.

The federal government will spend $1 of every $4 that is spent in the United States next year. Any free market institutions remaining here are like those earliest shrew-like mammals: tiny things, scurrying around trying not to get stepped on by some ginormous reptile.

Strikes and highway blockades spring up as drought-stricken Argentine farmers protest high export taxes. Also: Matt Taibbi lays down some high dudgeon about the brazen robbery that is U.S. economic policy.

California, under a federal court order to bring prisoner healthcare up to the barest minimum of constitutional standards, cuts 40% from its prison health care budget. Meanwhile, state liquor license regulators raid San Francisco bars looking for bootleg herb-, fruit-, or pepper- infused vodka.

The Marine Corps sells servility by calling it pride; tough economic times everywhere but D.C.; budget cuts at the I.R.S. are good news for us; and the million Americans who might be alive today if we’d spent the money on our wars-of-choice differently.

You can help keep an eye on the government revolving door. The opportunity costs of the warfare state. A Coherent Philosophy in verse. How the 1% got there. Developing derring-do. Greeks hang their unpaid tax bills on a Christmas tree. An Argentine Congresswoman leads a toll strike. A Catholic Worker in London refuses to pay his civil disobedience fine. And Carl Watner introduces the voluntaryist case against taxation.

The Department of Justice loses 30% of its tax prosecutors. The federal government is bigger than you might think. Ed Agro on war tax resistance. And: a Mother Jones article from April 1989 on war tax resisters.

Graphs that show how U.S. taxpayer noncompliance and I.R.S. enforcement efforts are changing over time. Also: Darian Worden on the political philosophy of Thoreau, David Hartsough on war tax resistance, and a look at the I.R.S.-produced Star Trek parody video.