Monday, October 27, 2008

Orwell on the patriotism of paying taxes

This per John Derbyshire's internet radio program. As Derbyshire says, you can't go far wrong with a quotation from George Orwell. This is from August 1940, while the Battle of Britain was raging, and the fate of the free world hung in the balance:

I wrote a long letter to the income tax people... Towards the government I feel no scruples, and I would dodge paying the tax if I could. Yet I would give my life for England readily enough, if I thought it was necessary. No-one is patriotic about taxes.

The title of the book of collected essays whence the quotation comes is entitled My Country, Right or Left. A sentiment worth noting, and attempting to emulate.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Orwell was a "Tory anarchist" and a firm believer in democratic socialism and this is the man who's sentiments you wish to emulate?
Interesting

Anonymous said...

I knew it!

Obama and Montana Headlines are both communists!

Montana Headlines said...

Explains a lot, doesn't it?