An important part of the objection to communism is that such a system cannot work unless it is a closed system. That is to say, the citizens of a true communist society cannot be allowed to leave.
The reason is simple. The people are the means by which the government derives its wealth and provides value to those to whom wealth is redistributed. Letting people leave would be like letting someone come into a factory and walking off with valuable equipment. This is why we heard so much about communist defectors from the USSR in the 1980s. No one was allowed to leave.
Well, like it or not, the federal government in the United States is run very much like a communist society as it taxes workers and redistributes their wealth as it sees fit. This taxation has been accepted as normal, though it was first instituted in the early 1900s to pay for our role in the first world war. Well, those communist policies that we have lived with for over 100 years now are beginning to co-evolve more communistic laws to sustain them.
The US government is now restricting the freedom of movement of Americans who have outstanding bills from the Internal Revenue Service. In the short run, this is expected to affect roughly 360,000 Americans. But in time, those with even projected debt to the IRS can be detained within the country, if they attempt to leave.
For the time being, those with unpaid debt to the IRS can be denied departure from the country. But eventually, this law can be extended. Suppose two months have elapsed since you settled your “debt” with the IRS. You may wish to go on summer vacation, however, you may have unpaid income taxes that would not be collected until next year- the IRS may be unwilling to risk your skipping out on that projected debt.
The former Congressman Bob Barr commented on the new policy proposal, “In an extremely troubling move three years ago, the Republican-controlled Congress handed the Internal Revenue Service the power to strip individuals of one of the most important and tangible rights possessed by American citizens – their passports. The Service is now starting to use this hammer.”
We’ve already seen the willingness of the IRS to be used as a political weapon. During the Obama administration, the IRS was directed to target members of the Tea Party with audits, penalties, and lawsuits. It was a destructive and disturbing series of attacks on liberty for which there has been no penalty for the perpetrators or restitution for the victims.
Barr also speculates that the IRS could be given the power to restrict other freedoms such as the ability to possess a firearm while a tax bill remains outstanding. The rationale being that if a person chooses to withhold monies from the federal government, he may choose to defend that choice with force.
Socialist governments have a long history of restricting the movement of persons wishing to leave the country- exorbitant personal identification requirements are just the tip of the iceberg.
Consider this excerpt from the work of Historian David Fitzgerald:
“[…] the tendency to ignore emigration policies implies they don’t exist or don’t matter, major European states have had emigration controls… States can execute those attempting to leave, force emigrants to pay stiff fees, refuse to provide passports, prevent departure, and strip emigrants of their nationality … Discursive techniques are also accessible, like deriding emigrants as traitors. Local governments have numerous pressure points whereby they can limit the movement of vital records, aid with lost or stolen remittances, and other bureaucratic transactions. In short, governments have a large and effective toolkit to make emigration unpleasant, especially as many emigrants leave home with the illusion of returning.”
Fitzgerald documents a litany of restrictions and abuses that persons seeking travel from socialist and communist governments are subjected to. These examples span the gamut of societies where property rights are not respected by law and wealth redistribution is common.
The restrictions on movement that we have seen in every communist nation on Earth should serve to guide us. We are moving closer to socialism by the day, and more restrictions on movement are being considered by lawmakers.
If this trend continues, you may have to face the scrutiny of the IRS every time you seek to go on vacation or visit loved ones abroad. It is a state of affairs that should be totally unacceptable in a nation based on principles of personal liberty.
~ American Liberty Report
