And this happens when we donate to charities too. Those organizations pocket the money too. You wanna help someone? You gotta do it directly don't let an organization intercept you and your kindness. All the money is going to war, movies and satellites, There is enough money and supplies for everyone in the world but the elite take everything to keep things unbalanced and to keep the poor down. But they forgot that those at the bottom can pull the rug out from under them.
I have stated on my social media post that we should not be paying taxes, especially if we are carrying the burden for billionaires. And based on what I read in your article it’s all true. And I know that they have exemptions for people who are opposed to the war, conscientious non-taxpayers. I don’t know the correct title, but I heard about it on WBAI here in New York City. So I read a comment above saying if white America advocated for not paying taxes in lieu of what’s going on how can they arrest 15 million people? Perhaps this is something communities of colors should think about?
And as effective as *that* might be if people who ID as "good White people" DID support this, Dr. Stacey already documented for us the reasons why it's not likely to happen
Professor, I'm going to share this article with my congressional representatives and will ask them to respond to me. Both of my US Senators are MAGA Republicans, while my member of congress is a Democrat.
I imagine this administration will ensure that the IRS is structured to help the rich high-end tax cheaters and use all the data & AI to target and punish people who try to stop paying taxes in protest.
Do you really think the government would arrest 15-20 million people who stop paying their taxes? To me, this is the smartest way we need to protest. I don’t make enough money to even pay taxes, but I’m trying to get other folks who do to take to the cause. Found this profile yesterday that has a lot of good resources:
Yes. But if it’s sheer numbers, what are they going to do? This administration is cruel AND incompetent. Too many people are wringing their hands, acting like their competent.
I worry that they will punish protesters economically by using the data they’ve been pulling together using the tech bros - to withhold support payments etc. This administration is cruel and incompetent, but look at how much damage they’ve been able to do in such a short time. Gutting programs, wiping out scientific knowledge from government websites, etc.
They are doing it anyways! People keep bending the knee, thinking it’s going to protect them, but it only makes you more of a target!
I’m not saying we shouldn’t be worried. Im saying all the hand wringing and the instance on worrying as our primary impetus doesn’t serve anyone.
Feel your fear, but use it to guide a way forward for you and your community, lives are being lost because we’re allowing ourselves to be too afraid to act. Instead we can leverage the fear into collective action.
I understand what you’re saying. I agree that action is needed and there’s too much handwringing. I’m Canadian, so I can’t take direct US action, but up here we’re collectively boycotting US vacations as well as US products. I’ve never seen Canadians come together in such a cohesive way. This US administration is evil, and we don’t feel optimistic about the relationship between the 2 countries going forward. So we’re developing trade relationships with other countries and supporting growth within Canada. We’ve been criticized for hurting Americans in border states in particular with our actions, and we understand. But economic action is the only thing the US government understands. So I’m all for Americans engaging in a tax protest. I think it should be the white liberals who step up.
Meh. That’s a very old version of the IRS. And the old version of the government. We need to show a spine. We can’t wait for our leaders to do it.
This administration is cruel and incompetent. Their incompetence is their Achilles heel. They’re breaking the government & will break the economy along with it.
As someone who has recently retired from the VA and has also worked with as well as personally communicated with IRS reps, the employees who are responsible for collecting delinquent taxes are not to be played with.
Don't confuse inept, evil leadership with those who actually have the responsibility to do the job.
Are they going to arrest 15 million people? Even 5 million people in coordinated action to stop the government from using our tax dollars to kill its own citizens?
What would happen is the IRS would seek judgments in court for unpaid taxes if citizens fail to setup payment plans with the IRS. Once they win in court, the IRS would take legal action to:
Garnish wages, government retired pay or unemployment benefits or income from other sources.
Withhold tax refunds and see the above.
Seek judgments to deduct monthly payments from savings or checking accounts.
Imprisoning anyone is usually the very last resort. They want the money plus interest and penalties. Only a complete idiot would want to spend anytime in prison as opposed to paying their tax debts.
This essay makes it plain for the need to enact personal austerity measures in this genocide being waged against us. Buying only the necessities; saving money; eating and sleeping better; and generally quit buying “shiny shit.”
I agree with everything you're saying, with one exception. If your child never learns to read, it's your fault. You are responsible for that. My grandparents were sharecroppers, but my grandmother made sure her 8 children could read. 6 of those children became college graduates. One of the other two became an entrepreneur, and a millionaire.
My dad went to a 2 room school with a woodstove for heat, and an outhouse. But his mother taught him that reading was the road out of poverty and ignorance.
He taught me to read before I ever went to school. I taught my kids to read at 3 and 4 years old. Parents need to read to their kids, and kids need to see their parents reading. Don't wait for the school.
Shared. Your last several posts have been beyond awesome -- thank you for them. (I still haven't read or seen the Handmaid's Tale. I'm sure your comments are terrific -- I'll come back to them if I ever do!)
You and Ashtin Berry AKA @thecollectress on IG are deeply in sync with your thoughts pieces lately. I mean, you’re both just reading it as it is, so it’s not that surprising.
She posted this two days ago, which is very similar to your piece from yesterday:
‘If white liberals just got together and collectively stopped paying their taxes until 30 the government invested into people properly and stopped all the craziness, the system would respond. What are the fascists going to do? Arrest 15 million people? I can't lead this movement because I don't make enough moment with my current work to pay taxes, but I'm trying to get friends who do to do something about it, but nope. They write their checks to IRS and just feel bad about it.”
I really am trying to get through to them and making massive financial. professional, personal risks for my community, to get us to where we need to be to survive and maybe even thrive for years to come, but the folks are so insular and stubborn—so attached to their comfort & safety.
Trying to get them to move beyond their constant hand wringing is exhausting. They’re completely stuck in a world from 20+ years ago. They do not know how to relate to the world of today. Zero resilience to proactively engage.
But I’m going to keep trying. Because it’s all I got.
You brilliantly articulated why I am seeking residency abroad. I would rather be an immigrant expat) than continue to subsidize hate and harm here where I was born. Unfortunately, I will still pay some taxes because my retirement accounts are here and I own property here. But not spending money on “American” goods and services is the most I can do with going to jail for tax evasion.
All ot would take is an organized day of people going into HR or whomever takes care of the W-2's and everyone claiming exempt on the form. Getting people to overcome their fear of owing the IRS (easier to owe money to the mob) is the problem. If you own a house the taxes have to be paid or they auction it off. They already tax every item we buy, every drop of fuel, every single thing we eat and wear depending on the state. Let the red hat sector foot the bill since this is the government they voted for. A fiscal quarter of this would hit hard enough to get the attention of people up the food chain. The problem is getting people to quit being afraid. They have no idea how terrifying this is going to get if we don't do something. No one reads history (real history). By the time they understand what is actually happening, it will be too late.
You are so right about this: "For example, it’s no accident that the Department of Education’s civil rights arm is being hollowed out. Already, schools with racist discipline practices are operating with impunity, suspending Black children at three times the rate of their white peers. Now, those schools are essentially unregulated playgrounds for systemic abuse."
My oldest sister was Head of the Office for Civil Rights and Compliance at NSF. They went after her with a vengeance.
And what scares me about the school situation, they are banning cellphones. Now if the teacher is abusing the students, there's no evidence.
My 55yo husband has been out of work since March 2024. We live in the Right to Work state of FL. Which doesn't mean what it should mean. His boss *knew* he had a disabled wife at home (and at the time, a first responder, our son was an EMT at the time and training to be a paramedic). They knew he worked remotely during covid with excellent reviews. They wanted him out.
ACA sucks. It's better than nothing if I need the ER. But just barely. No vision, no dental, no mental health care. Pretty much everything is out of pocket. He had to take out his 401k to get a roof (thank goddess before Hurricane Milton). My autoimmune diseases destroyed my teeth, so another 401k for dental implants.
One adult child is terrified of losing research funding. The other, our medic, sees people every shift who are septic, trying to refuse care because they don't have insurance.
The tropics have been mercifully quiet but with cuts, will we have the information to react in time? The Medic had to use airboats during Milton to try and reach flood victims. There were no happy endings.
Do we just engage in good trouble and do a nationwide refusal to pay taxes?
This is absolute truth. We work hard to pay for a war machine run by maniacs.
And this happens when we donate to charities too. Those organizations pocket the money too. You wanna help someone? You gotta do it directly don't let an organization intercept you and your kindness. All the money is going to war, movies and satellites, There is enough money and supplies for everyone in the world but the elite take everything to keep things unbalanced and to keep the poor down. But they forgot that those at the bottom can pull the rug out from under them.
I have stated on my social media post that we should not be paying taxes, especially if we are carrying the burden for billionaires. And based on what I read in your article it’s all true. And I know that they have exemptions for people who are opposed to the war, conscientious non-taxpayers. I don’t know the correct title, but I heard about it on WBAI here in New York City. So I read a comment above saying if white America advocated for not paying taxes in lieu of what’s going on how can they arrest 15 million people? Perhaps this is something communities of colors should think about?
Not sure it would have the teeth of being effective unless there was also White support, disappointingly
Because this
"how can they arrest 15 million people?"
is the reason they're eagerly building all those private prisons -- the private prison CEOs were active & lucrative donors to the fascists' campaigns
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gOywBo1xPo
And as effective as *that* might be if people who ID as "good White people" DID support this, Dr. Stacey already documented for us the reasons why it's not likely to happen
https://drstaceypatton1865.substack.com/p/can-white-allies-rescue-themselves
"I know that they have exemptions for people who are opposed to the war, conscientious non-taxpayers"
I also think that's dependent on a federal government who'd actually be willing to honor that exemption ...
and that's not what the United States has at the moment
Professor, I'm going to share this article with my congressional representatives and will ask them to respond to me. Both of my US Senators are MAGA Republicans, while my member of congress is a Democrat.
Great idea!
I imagine this administration will ensure that the IRS is structured to help the rich high-end tax cheaters and use all the data & AI to target and punish people who try to stop paying taxes in protest.
Do you really think the government would arrest 15-20 million people who stop paying their taxes? To me, this is the smartest way we need to protest. I don’t make enough money to even pay taxes, but I’m trying to get other folks who do to take to the cause. Found this profile yesterday that has a lot of good resources:
https://www.instagram.com/wartaxresister?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
I think punishment will be targeted. Just like ICE targets people. The people least likely to be targeted could step up in a tax protest movement.
Yes. But if it’s sheer numbers, what are they going to do? This administration is cruel AND incompetent. Too many people are wringing their hands, acting like their competent.
I worry that they will punish protesters economically by using the data they’ve been pulling together using the tech bros - to withhold support payments etc. This administration is cruel and incompetent, but look at how much damage they’ve been able to do in such a short time. Gutting programs, wiping out scientific knowledge from government websites, etc.
They are doing it anyways! People keep bending the knee, thinking it’s going to protect them, but it only makes you more of a target!
I’m not saying we shouldn’t be worried. Im saying all the hand wringing and the instance on worrying as our primary impetus doesn’t serve anyone.
Feel your fear, but use it to guide a way forward for you and your community, lives are being lost because we’re allowing ourselves to be too afraid to act. Instead we can leverage the fear into collective action.
These two pieces mirror each other:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DMMAkf-MAe9/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
https://open.substack.com/pub/drstaceypatton1865/p/can-white-allies-rescue-themselves?r=3cbn7&utm_medium=ios
I understand what you’re saying. I agree that action is needed and there’s too much handwringing. I’m Canadian, so I can’t take direct US action, but up here we’re collectively boycotting US vacations as well as US products. I’ve never seen Canadians come together in such a cohesive way. This US administration is evil, and we don’t feel optimistic about the relationship between the 2 countries going forward. So we’re developing trade relationships with other countries and supporting growth within Canada. We’ve been criticized for hurting Americans in border states in particular with our actions, and we understand. But economic action is the only thing the US government understands. So I’m all for Americans engaging in a tax protest. I think it should be the white liberals who step up.
Yes. But not all at once. Don't ever mess with the IRS, says a retired government employee.
Meh. That’s a very old version of the IRS. And the old version of the government. We need to show a spine. We can’t wait for our leaders to do it.
This administration is cruel and incompetent. Their incompetence is their Achilles heel. They’re breaking the government & will break the economy along with it.
Use their incompetence against them.
https://substack.com/home/post/p-168424324
https://www.instagram.com/p/DMMAkf-MAe9/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
As someone who has recently retired from the VA and has also worked with as well as personally communicated with IRS reps, the employees who are responsible for collecting delinquent taxes are not to be played with.
Don't confuse inept, evil leadership with those who actually have the responsibility to do the job.
Are they going to arrest 15 million people? Even 5 million people in coordinated action to stop the government from using our tax dollars to kill its own citizens?
That isn't how this would work.
What would happen is the IRS would seek judgments in court for unpaid taxes if citizens fail to setup payment plans with the IRS. Once they win in court, the IRS would take legal action to:
Garnish wages, government retired pay or unemployment benefits or income from other sources.
Withhold tax refunds and see the above.
Seek judgments to deduct monthly payments from savings or checking accounts.
Imprisoning anyone is usually the very last resort. They want the money plus interest and penalties. Only a complete idiot would want to spend anytime in prison as opposed to paying their tax debts.
This essay makes it plain for the need to enact personal austerity measures in this genocide being waged against us. Buying only the necessities; saving money; eating and sleeping better; and generally quit buying “shiny shit.”
Thanks for putting into words what has been lurking in my brain.
I agree with everything you're saying, with one exception. If your child never learns to read, it's your fault. You are responsible for that. My grandparents were sharecroppers, but my grandmother made sure her 8 children could read. 6 of those children became college graduates. One of the other two became an entrepreneur, and a millionaire.
My dad went to a 2 room school with a woodstove for heat, and an outhouse. But his mother taught him that reading was the road out of poverty and ignorance.
He taught me to read before I ever went to school. I taught my kids to read at 3 and 4 years old. Parents need to read to their kids, and kids need to see their parents reading. Don't wait for the school.
General strike.
Shared. Your last several posts have been beyond awesome -- thank you for them. (I still haven't read or seen the Handmaid's Tale. I'm sure your comments are terrific -- I'll come back to them if I ever do!)
NWTRCC.org
You and Ashtin Berry AKA @thecollectress on IG are deeply in sync with your thoughts pieces lately. I mean, you’re both just reading it as it is, so it’s not that surprising.
She posted this two days ago, which is very similar to your piece from yesterday:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DMMAkf-MAe9/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
And this was my response:
‘If white liberals just got together and collectively stopped paying their taxes until 30 the government invested into people properly and stopped all the craziness, the system would respond. What are the fascists going to do? Arrest 15 million people? I can't lead this movement because I don't make enough moment with my current work to pay taxes, but I'm trying to get friends who do to do something about it, but nope. They write their checks to IRS and just feel bad about it.”
I really am trying to get through to them and making massive financial. professional, personal risks for my community, to get us to where we need to be to survive and maybe even thrive for years to come, but the folks are so insular and stubborn—so attached to their comfort & safety.
Trying to get them to move beyond their constant hand wringing is exhausting. They’re completely stuck in a world from 20+ years ago. They do not know how to relate to the world of today. Zero resilience to proactively engage.
But I’m going to keep trying. Because it’s all I got.
You brilliantly articulated why I am seeking residency abroad. I would rather be an immigrant expat) than continue to subsidize hate and harm here where I was born. Unfortunately, I will still pay some taxes because my retirement accounts are here and I own property here. But not spending money on “American” goods and services is the most I can do with going to jail for tax evasion.
All ot would take is an organized day of people going into HR or whomever takes care of the W-2's and everyone claiming exempt on the form. Getting people to overcome their fear of owing the IRS (easier to owe money to the mob) is the problem. If you own a house the taxes have to be paid or they auction it off. They already tax every item we buy, every drop of fuel, every single thing we eat and wear depending on the state. Let the red hat sector foot the bill since this is the government they voted for. A fiscal quarter of this would hit hard enough to get the attention of people up the food chain. The problem is getting people to quit being afraid. They have no idea how terrifying this is going to get if we don't do something. No one reads history (real history). By the time they understand what is actually happening, it will be too late.
"Necropolitics" is such a perfect description!
I say yank their chains with a general strike and then go for the tax resistance movement.
We are on our way to more cohesiveness, but we have some community organizing work to do...
You are so right about this: "For example, it’s no accident that the Department of Education’s civil rights arm is being hollowed out. Already, schools with racist discipline practices are operating with impunity, suspending Black children at three times the rate of their white peers. Now, those schools are essentially unregulated playgrounds for systemic abuse."
My oldest sister was Head of the Office for Civil Rights and Compliance at NSF. They went after her with a vengeance.
And what scares me about the school situation, they are banning cellphones. Now if the teacher is abusing the students, there's no evidence.
My thoughts exactly.
My 55yo husband has been out of work since March 2024. We live in the Right to Work state of FL. Which doesn't mean what it should mean. His boss *knew* he had a disabled wife at home (and at the time, a first responder, our son was an EMT at the time and training to be a paramedic). They knew he worked remotely during covid with excellent reviews. They wanted him out.
ACA sucks. It's better than nothing if I need the ER. But just barely. No vision, no dental, no mental health care. Pretty much everything is out of pocket. He had to take out his 401k to get a roof (thank goddess before Hurricane Milton). My autoimmune diseases destroyed my teeth, so another 401k for dental implants.
One adult child is terrified of losing research funding. The other, our medic, sees people every shift who are septic, trying to refuse care because they don't have insurance.
The tropics have been mercifully quiet but with cuts, will we have the information to react in time? The Medic had to use airboats during Milton to try and reach flood victims. There were no happy endings.
Do we just engage in good trouble and do a nationwide refusal to pay taxes?
Thank you Dr. Stacey.