Frederick Douglass and Dominion of Wages

American history cannot be justly separated from the wrongdoings of white, male, State-facilitated land owners. It is not just mud on her boots, but a drowning typhoon of injustices. Slavery is her most condemned  facet. And yet, slavery persists.

I tutor kids in an elementary school, and I know that modeling good behavior is the best way to influence kids to copy good behavior. To copy is to learn, and innovation comes when we add to the collective knowledge of humanity. Today, I trekked to the school library with my classroom. Inside, some gathered tomes to peruse, while others' eyes sagged staring at the ceiling. I modeled reading and checking out books from the library. My section of choice, as it has been for the past few years, was the nonfiction section. I rented A Picture Book of Frederick Douglass. It's a couple scores of pages, and written by David Adler. Frederick Douglass was a great man. Born a slave, died a free man.

The book reads like a well painted Wikipedia article. Short and packed with facts. Here's a gem

Frederick longed to be free.

This is a simply written phrase, and the motor behind anarchist, libertarian, liberal and any other anti-authoritarian thought. Also, the motive behind the Laissez-faire portion of this blog's name.* Here is a more finely crafted gem

In New Bedford, Frederick worked loading and unloading ships, shoveling coal, and sweeping out chimneys. Frederick was pleased he didn't have to share his wages with a slave owner.

The text in bold is my emphasis. The State imposes a whole-scale theft of every wage earners' salary. The State calls it the income tax. After the State expresses its dominion over our wages, it reminds us that it is our benefactor by returning a percentage of our stolen earnings. I long for the day when we will be free. I long for the day when we don't have to share our wages with our slave owner.

Furthermore, we must end the State.

Post Scriptum:

*Uh oh, I collapsed the fourth wall. Shoutout to Deadpool.