Taxation Without Representation by RoseAnn Salanitri

“Taxation without representation” was a critical issue that provoked the Revolutionary War. Our Founders strongly objected to the taxation that was being thrust upon them by the King at a time when their representation in Great Britain was being obfuscated and ignored. Taxation without representation became one of the battle cries of the Colonies. Today it can almost be hard to imagine that the taxes they objected to numbered in the single digits – three to be exact.

So why the history lesson? I can assure you that it is not because of the voluminous tax burden thrust upon us today – a burden that is so immense that I challenge anyone to try to compile a comprehensive list of the taxes we are required to pay. Yes, that burden may be worthy of revolution, but it is the lack of representation that makes it abhorrent.

Right about now I can almost visualize the puzzled faces of those reading this piece. You may be puzzled because we have been indoctrinated with the notion that we have a representative government. After all, we vote for our representatives, don’t we? Yes we do, but aside from the fact that many of our so-called representatives have been bought and paid for by special interests or are members of the clandestine Deep State, how much representation do we really have in Congress if our representative is a member of the minority party? Worse. What about if our representative is a member of the minority party when Nancy Pelosi is Speaker of the House?

Let me clarify. Nancy Pelosi was Speaker of the House when the misnamed Affordable Care Act (ACA) under Obama was being discussed. During the legislative discussions, she literally locked out all Republicans; thereby disenfranchising their citizen constituents, who, at that point were being taxed without representation. Speaker Pelosi is well known for her belief that elections have consequences and (apparently, in her reasoning) that meant that Republican representatives were to be denied any legislative courtesies, since the consequence for Republicans were that they were part of the losing minority party. What Speaker Pelosi failed to understand was that when she squashed Republican input, she squashed the constitutional right to representation to which their constituents were entitled. This was tantamount to the 18th century’s taxation without representation that inspired the Revolutionary War.

Once again Mrs. Pelosi is Speaker of the House, and once again she is employing her taxation without representation ploys that would have raised up an army in the 1700s. She flexed her taxation without representation muscles during the impeachment debacle – not allowing Republican input or Republican representation during the initial process or at the congressional team at the Senate hearings. And once again, she is flexing those same muscles when it comes to legislative debates regarding COVID-19. Although Speaker Pelosi may appear to be working with the Trump Administration on behalf of the people, she attempted to use this process to advance her abortion agenda by providing funds for it within the legislation. Fortunately, that didn’t work and she was forced to compromise in order to save face with the public – all while pretending that she is a team player when it comes to the welfare of the American public. If you believe that, then perhaps you would be interested in the bridge for sale that I have in my backyard – sight unseen of course.

Based on Mrs. Pelosi’s former and present mode of operation in the People’s House, I hereby strongly suggest that she be impeached, respectfully resign, or refund all federal tax monies paid by those of minority parties to the voters of those parties based on that fact that their representation in government has been denied.

Furthermore, I would like to say: Mrs. Pelosi, this is NOT Great Britain in 1776, and you are NOT King of these United States. Our Constitution clearly defines that we have a representative government. You have usurped your authority and abused the power the Speaker. You are guilty of the very charges you leveled upon President Trump, and We the People living under this representative government have had enough of your elitist antics, which are as unAmerican as they are unCatholic. For my dear Speaker, you are unfit, grossly malevolent, and ill-equipped to represent a freedom-loving people. I challenge you to surrender your vast riches, and go back to your congressional district and live under the laws you have imposed on the average citizen. But perhaps that may be too dastardly a suggestion – even for a legislative disgrace such as you.