I would say we are now as a people, all of us, not just certain groups, more free than any other time in our history.
I don't see how you can say that. We have more laws today that restrict our freedom than at any other time in our history. And, a thousand new ones are added every year. I'd bet none of us know what even half of the laws say, or how they effect us. Why aren't these seen as further restrictions on our freedom?
We pay more taxes now than at any other time in our history. Is not economic freedom a part of personal freedom?
We only have selected "freedoms" that our taxes pay for. And, those very taxes pay someone else to further restrict our freedoms, (and increase our taxes).
The first Federal income tax was imposed (under Article I, section 8, clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution) during the Civil War, then again in the 1890s, and again after the Sixteenth Amendment was ratified in 1913.
The Revenue Act of 1861, was a flat rate tax of 3% on annual income above $800.
The Sixteenth Amendment placed a minimum of 1% on all and an additional 1% to 6% for 7 income brackets.
ref:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revenue_Act_of_1913* The Federal government's tax burden rose to 6.8 percent of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) by 1940.
* Between 1986 and 1990 the Federal tax burden rose as a share of GDP from 17.5 to 18 percent.
* By 2000, Federal taxes as a share of GDP reached a postwar high of 20.8 percent.
In a little over 100 years the tax rate went from about 3% to 20%. And now, of course, the Government is saying higher taxes are needed in the future.
Don't forget to add the state taxes, which add 6.47% (average among all states, and varies between 4% an 12% extremes) of personal incomes above what the Feds take.
These have an increase over time history, as well, with media reports of planned increases, either sales tax, income tax, or excise taxes
Today, you are "free" to give 30-40% of your work week to the government (assuming you are somewhere in the middle class). That's one and a half days work you give the government each week. With the government now giving away money to banks, where do you think that money is going to come from? Its the all the "free" taxpayers who will be working an extra half day a week for their government (or the banking institutions indirectly).
Care to guess what the next 100 years will bring?
Place these tax data points on a graph, connect the dots and draw a projection line into the future. How many years before the tax rate equals 100%?
When will we be "free" to work entirely for someone else's gain?
