CRAIG T. NELSON GOES 'JOHN GALT' ON GLENN BECK: Will not pay more taxes and willing to go to jail.
Craig T. Nelson said on the popular Fox News Glenn Beck show today that he was going to stop paying taxes and was willing to go to jail for it. The conversation sounded like John Galt's famous speech in the classic 1957 novel, Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.
In reference to Nelson's home state of California (which is asking the federal government to guarantee its debt), Nelson said: "It's no longer a state. It's a hedge fund. I have a solution. There's only one way. We've gotta make them...we've got to make people stand up for their responsibilities. They were accountable, and they haven't been. No one is accountable anymore for anything. No one did anything wrong. You're to blame, that's to blame. As an investor, as someone who gets taxed an awful lot, I just say, I'm not going to pay 'till you guys can show me that you're fiscally responsible."
Next, Nelson complained about the government's threat to always cut essential services first instead of some of the more unnecessary or wasteful programs that we all know about: "Listen, the first thing they went after -- education. We're going to cut education. Why? That's the most important thing in the world." Beck then chimed in, "Then cops and prisons." "Then firefighters," Nelson said finishing Beck's sentence for him, "We don't have any fires in California," he said tongue-in-cheek.
"We are no longer represented," Nelson continued. "Okay, we just aren't. And there's been a political fight. There's been a pluralism in our California government and you certainly see it reflected in our national government, don't you? I mean, people are blaming each other. No one is taking personal responsibility for what they said or what they did. And those people are responsible to us. They were elected. This is a democracy. It's a republic. My God?!"
"We are a republic and that means that we need to be represented, and we're not being. I'm not going to pay. I'm not going to pay any more money...what these people are asking me to do..."
"Are you saying that you personally aren't going to pay income taxes anymore?" Beck inquired. With no hesitation, Nelson responded, "I'm really thinking about it, Glenn. Because as a fiscally responsible grandfather, there are programs that they're asking me to fund that I refuse to fund. I'm through with it. I'm just sick and tired of it."
"Are you willing to go to jail?" Beck asked in response. "I will go to jail," Nelson answered.
What a stand based upon principles! John Galt would be proud of Craig T. Nelson.
Craig T. Nelson said on the popular Fox News Glenn Beck show today that he was going to stop paying taxes and was willing to go to jail for it. The conversation sounded like John Galt's famous speech in the classic 1957 novel, Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.
In reference to Nelson's home state of California (which is asking the federal government to guarantee its debt), Nelson said: "It's no longer a state. It's a hedge fund. I have a solution. There's only one way. We've gotta make them...we've got to make people stand up for their responsibilities. They were accountable, and they haven't been. No one is accountable anymore for anything. No one did anything wrong. You're to blame, that's to blame. As an investor, as someone who gets taxed an awful lot, I just say, I'm not going to pay 'till you guys can show me that you're fiscally responsible."
Next, Nelson complained about the government's threat to always cut essential services first instead of some of the more unnecessary or wasteful programs that we all know about: "Listen, the first thing they went after -- education. We're going to cut education. Why? That's the most important thing in the world." Beck then chimed in, "Then cops and prisons." "Then firefighters," Nelson said finishing Beck's sentence for him, "We don't have any fires in California," he said tongue-in-cheek.
"We are no longer represented," Nelson continued. "Okay, we just aren't. And there's been a political fight. There's been a pluralism in our California government and you certainly see it reflected in our national government, don't you? I mean, people are blaming each other. No one is taking personal responsibility for what they said or what they did. And those people are responsible to us. They were elected. This is a democracy. It's a republic. My God?!"
"We are a republic and that means that we need to be represented, and we're not being. I'm not going to pay. I'm not going to pay any more money...what these people are asking me to do..."
"Are you saying that you personally aren't going to pay income taxes anymore?" Beck inquired. With no hesitation, Nelson responded, "I'm really thinking about it, Glenn. Because as a fiscally responsible grandfather, there are programs that they're asking me to fund that I refuse to fund. I'm through with it. I'm just sick and tired of it."
"Are you willing to go to jail?" Beck asked in response. "I will go to jail," Nelson answered.
What a stand based upon principles! John Galt would be proud of Craig T. Nelson.