And The Answer Is?

With the European Commission deciding how it will levy its first European-wide taxes, Americans are voting in 100 state-level referendums next week, many of which will have a profound impact on state tax policy. It would be no surprise to learn that, generally, in states that have more citizens' initiatives like these, taxes are lower.

So HTF has it happened that the nation that grew from  British seed now practices the things we exported - individualism, small government and representative democracy - better than we do? The first rule of a representative democracy is that taxes should only be levied by elected representatives who are answerable to the people they affect. Was that not what the Boston Tea Party was all about? So where is our Tea Party? Ukip, or anyone?

Meanwhile, MEPs decided yesterday that EU member states need to pay even more into the Brussels pot, voting in favour of a further 5.9% rise on top of the rise in contributions already built into the 2011 budget. This will provide us with everything we've all been wanting over here in cut-ridden Britain: an EU police force, an EU diplomatic corps, more financial service regulators to squeeze the City, more costs to businesses and more costs to 'Joe Public'.

And just what can our elected representatives do about all that? Zilch, Nada or, to use a good old fashioned British phrase: SFA! 

So why do we 'employ' them?

H/T: Direct Democracy