It’s Those Tiny Little Shifts

Truly, have you ever considered how history shifts on small decisions?

What we celebrate on the 4th was the bravery of men who said [Rowel paraphrase] : "If you’re going to tax me, I need a representative. And, since you won’t give me THAT … well, we’re free anyway. Government doesn’t give us our rights; our Creator does. So, we declare that we are, in fact, independent."

Imagine if, before this point, the King of England had said: "Alright, I’ll allow a representative from each colony a seat in the Parliament." I mean really — it’s not like we wouldn’t have been taxed up the wazoo with representation … the votes would have been something like 250-13 to tax the colonies to high hell!

But at least there would have been representation! [Historians point out that Washington, Adams, Franklin and others, at first, wanted only the same rights as other British subjects. Only until the British remained stubborn did they opt for full independence.]

Instead, the British lack of imagination helped birth the greatest experiment in freedom the world has seen over the last two+ centuries (IMHO).

Now, I have clients who are still fighting a (somewhat) similar battle. And it all can be avoided with another small shift … but it, in fact, can lead to more independence.

Rowel Manasan’s
"Straight Talk" Personal Strategy
A Simple, Daily Task For Independence
Well, the dream of freedom, birthed on the 4th , does still live. But with the current economic environment, we should acknowledge that our government (especially the IRS) is poised to become a deeper, larger influence in our lives. It’s a simple reality, with the deficit and debt burdens now being faced by municipalities.
 
We shouldn’t ignore the power of the IRS in our lives. Solely responsible for collecting federal taxes and imposing related penalties, the IRS (and, really, the tax code) presents one of the most strongly-felt presences in the lives of individuals and business owners.
 
They have unique information resources, legal standing, and roles as a law enforcement agency.  On top of all this, the IRS has the authority to issue legislation and the freedom to make mistakes without consequences (they’re protected from penalties for false tax accusations).
    
So what can you do to protect yourself from the IRS’ power and potential for financial wrath?