Snipes Aquitted of "Tax Fraud"

Some mostly good news comming out of the US Court system. Mostly I say because Mr. Snipes was also convicted of three misdemeaners.

From an article on Yahoo! FInance we are told:

"Snipes said the IRS's own code meant no citizen had to pay taxes on income earned in this country, and the agency had no legal authority to collect wages anyway, because it is not a proper government entity." This is potentially big news.

I started to post something about this too; but I'm not sure how much of a victory it was. Snipes was acquitted of tax fraud, which would have required the government to prove intent. He did get convicted of failing to file returns though. No intent is needed to prove that and he can still go to jail for it. And his co-defendants, the ones who convinced Snipes he didn't have to pay any taxes, did get convicted of fraud.

So where is the victory? It looks to me like the jury was lenient; but I don't see any new precedent or any erosion of the government's authority.

I am very sad his co-defendents were convicted of fraud. But I do think it erodes the government's authority because the IRS was counting on snipes to be a high-profile example right before tax season. They will instead get a headline that reads SNIPES AQUITTED OF TAX FRAUD. A lot of people do not read very far beyond headlines. It will give hope to others who may want to challenge these tax laws. Others might learn what Snipes did right and what mistakes he made. I think overall it was a positive outcome although I am sad for the co-defendednts and do think the misedeameaner convictions were also unjust.

 I think the whole thing makes a public statement that positive law does not provide for equal justice. So a rich guy could put some fall guys on the take. That never happens, Carmello?

Special privlege is a must for a plutocracy.

Y'now as a man of the law is smashing in your spectacles, you can tell him how he is violating the law, to your further detriment. If ya'll think this court system in the states unionized will defend the poor, than laughing would be in-appropriate. I'll try the same thing and see if my public pretender can rub two sticks together when I am beaten by the thieves, those nobel vessels of the court. I'm sure that an insurance man would not scowl at me if I waved or said good-day. The police have become the despotic hands of the state. The courts pervert the natural law. And to the man on the street, keep marchin' to the beat of a totalitarian drummer.

Without income taxes it's harder to point out to people... "You helped pay for this a... public good" whenever the state balls up. One could still say that indirect costs are incurred, without this despotic, invasive, and unneccessary tax system.

I pay, it's not as if I'm choiced too, I'd have to find an under the table occupation, not too.

Ode to the employer that exchanges in hard money. 

Snipes own lawyer was on Cavuto yesterday lecturing about how foolish Snipes had been.

The defense argument during the trial was that he had not been allowed his right to an audit to explain himself before the government files charges. I don't think there were any points scored against the IRS in this case.