After I decided against going on Fox News, Ed Hedemann of NWTRCC jumped on the grenade.
I salute Ed’s courage and endurance, but I think I made the right decision. Here’s how Fox’s Neil Cavuto led off the segment:
Well, would the economy and the stock market be doing even better today if there weren’t [chuckle] people like my next guest. Get this: he has not paid the IRS a dime in taxes in and owes the government to date seventy thousand dollars, which he says he has since given to charity.
Remarkable, isn’t it? — the conservative host of a conservative business news segment saying that the economy might be doing better if more people paid more taxes! That’s how desperate they are to tar a war tax resister on Fox.
Things got better from there, though, and Ed held up well under pressure. I’m sure it will come as a bit of a shock to Fox Business News viewers to see a man who hasn’t paid income tax to the IRS in , and is still walking free without submitting to fear of the government.
Here’s some quick reaction from the News Hounds who “watch FOX so you don’t have to.” And more excerpts (I especially like this bit):
Cavuto: “So, people watching this show are going to say, ‘Hey, I’m workin’ my keteester off. I’m paying my taxes. Ed’s getting a pass. That’s not fair.’ ”
Hedemann: “No, but I am paying my taxes. I just don’t send it to the IRS.”
Cavuto: “Alright. Well, a lot of people could say I wanna give to charity, I wanna do this, but I have to pay Uncle Sam. You’re saying no you don’t?”
Hedemann: “Yeah. No I don’t.”
Cavuto: “So, if everyone did that, Ed, in the country, what would happen?”
Hedemann: “I think we’re less likely to have problems with war. But I think that in a democracy, citizens should have a right to say where their tax money goes and so I’m doing that directly.”
