Chapter 2
Natonito and Bathsheba were sitting in their audience room, when a person who had been found to have not paid his taxes for the last three years was brought in to them. He was obviously not pleased at being brought before the Directrix.
�I am certified to argue in tax court,� the man said.
�This is tax court,� Natonito replied.
�And who is the judge?� the man asked.
�I am,� Natonito replied. �I am also the prosecutor, and there is no appeal.�
�This is against my rights,� the man said.
�I am the court of last resort, the torturer of the Holy Book. To those who do not pay their debt to the government, I extract from them the money. There is no appeal from my judgements, and no escape for payment, for if you have no assets to pay your tax burden, you will become a slave for the state,� Natonito said.
�What is the justice in that?� the man asked.
�Beware, lest your arguments become wearisome to me,� Natonito said. �You have already gone through the normal procedures, and you appealed to the high court. I am the high court.�
�I fear I have made a tactical error,� the man said.
�Perhaps, I believe I am a fair man,� Natonito said. �Still, I am a man, I do not have perfect righteousness or perfect justice. But I do my best.�
�Have you looked through the facts of the case?� the man said.
�Yes, I have� Natonito said. �It appears you have not paid your taxes to this empire at all.�
�That is correct,� the man said. �I do not believe it is right to pay taxes to a corrupt nation.�
�Pay unto God what is God�s, and pay unto Cesar what is Cesar�s,� Natonito replied. �Should you believe this is a despotic government, you have the right to leave. However, if you enjoy the rights and privileges of being here, you must pay the price, and the price is your tax money. You cannot get something for nothing.�
�Did you not lead a revolt against high taxes yourself?� the man said.
�That is true,� Natonito said. �But it is rather dangerous to make an appeal to force. After all, if one appeals to force, which is necessary against truly tyrannical governments like the Animal Star Empire, one forfeits any claim to morality except in the morality of the cause itself. However, if one loses in the appeal to force, like a trial by combat, one has been found to be immoral, and one cannot appeal the judgement. I won because I had the force to win, and the support of my people. My goal was to better obtain their security and wealth, and so I am in this empire today. However, when one does not have the force to win, one does not have the authority to claim natural rights, since they must be secured by combat. Also, and of interest in this particular case, any action taken by either the rebels or the government in that conflict legitimizes a like response by the other party. If I, seeing I could not win a set-piece battle, had chosen to attack the civilian population of the empire, I would have forfeited the rights of my own civilians to freedom from attack.�
�So you are saying that the exercise of rights is contingent on handling them correctly,� the man said.
�Yes, that is precisely correct,� Natonito replied.
�What about those who, like me, oppose taxes,� the man said, trying to bait the Directrix.
�I have already told you what to do. If you do not desire to pay taxes, leave this empire. If you desire to stay here, you will either pay for the taxes you owe through your capital or your sweat,� Natonito said.
�I desire to emigrate then,� the man said.
�If you emigrate, then, you must surrender your property to the state to pay for the tax lien, and then you can live anywhere without the fear of having the nation grab any more of your money,� Natonito said.
�You mean my house and land,� the man said.
�That is correct,� Natonito said. �You may even keep your bank accounts to start you off in your new land. I wish you luck. Do you teach any remote classes for the University of Bravia?�
�Yes, I do,� the man said. �I teach accounting courses.�
�You are free to go now,� Natonito said. �I will not deliver you to be tortured. A man has the right to disagree with government, so long as he is willing to pay the price if he chooses to rebel.�
�Farewell, then,� the man said.
�Farewell,� Natonito said.
At this point a soldier came in agitated. Natonito motioned for him to calm down and speak.
�You let that man go free?� the soldier said.
�Yes, he forfeited his lands to pay for his taxes, I know that the amount he owed was about equal to the value of the house and property. Besides, I figured there was no need to torture someone willing to give up the rights of citizenship for reduced taxes,� Natonito said.
�You are not going to have us torment him?� the soldier asked incredulously.
�No,� Natonito replied. �Let him reap the results of his actions.�
�Alright,� the soldier said. �Some of us were looking forward to torturing him, though.�
�I know,� Natonito said. �Remember, though, I must balance the freedoms and rights of the people with the prerogative of government.�
�That must be a difficult job,� the soldier said.
�Indeed it is,� Natonito said. �To the statesman it is given the sober responsibility to balance the security of the state with the freedom of the individual. It is no easy task coming from formulas, but something that changes whether one is in war or peace, depends on the state of the people as well as the state of those who rule. It is a never ending struggle to balance equality and freedom. For those who rule wisely there is eternal fame, and for those who rule foolishly there is eternal damnation in the court of public opinion. Those who seek the greater reward face greater responsibility.�
�I agree,� the soldier said. �Still, we could have roughed him up a little.�
�There will be other people who deserve torture,� Natonito said. �We must remember not to overstep our bounds or else people will not be willing to accept anything we do. We must content ourselves with a little greed, for greater greed will destroy us.�
�That is true,� the soldier said. �Can I go back to my post now?�
�Go ahead,� Natonito said.
�Yes, sir,� the soldier said as he left the audience room.
�There is something sick inside of the nation,� Bathsheba said.
�I agree,� Natonito said. �It appears that some have forgotten their responsibilities and only remembered their freedoms. However, freedom and responsibility are inseparable in a just society, for in a free society every freedom carries with it a corresponding responsibility. The freedom to speak means the responsibility to speak correctly and truthfully. The freedom to live means the responsibility to protect life. People forget that. They murder, through abortions or out of greed and anger, and expect that they have rights as criminals. That is simply not the case. Those who break the rights of others have no rights to themselves.�
�I know,� Bathsheba said. �But that same standard applies to us too, right?�
�Yes, it does,� Natonito said. �As the government, we have a higher responsibility. If we do not protect the rights of our people, we have no rights to ourselves when the people rise in rebellion. But if we seek to protect the rights of our people, we have the right to chastise and punish a rebellious people until they show themselves able to exercise their own rights.�
�Why do we choose the difficult way?� Bathsheba asked rhetorically.
�We choose the narrow way because it the only worthwhile way,� Natonito said. �We do what is challenging because it is the only thing that brings a worthwhile reward. What is easy is worthless. It is only what is difficult that is worth the reward, the everlasting fame that all great people desire.�
�We are all so ambitious,� Bathsheba said. �And loving to each other as well.�
�Yes, that is true,� Natonito said. �The only worthwhile result of our ambition is to protect and serve our people, for that alone makes us worthy of the fame and glory we seek from the commoners. There is no glory in tyrannizing those who are weaker than ourselves. There is only glory in caring for the sheep, not slaughtering them.�
�We are called to be shepherds and not wolves,� Bathsheba said.
�Precisely,� Natonito said.
�You look tired,� Bathsheba said. �Do you want a rest?�
�Yes, I do,� Natonito said. �These are troubled times.�
�I know,� Bathsheba said. �But you should always remember that you do not walk alone. I am here to help you and steady you. You do not have to let your troubled and worried mind deal with everything by itself. You cannot take upon yourself too much of a burden for your skinny shoulders. You cannot handle the weight of the world all by yourself.�
�I know, my love,� Natonito said. �Let us to and rest. My mind is greatly troubled tonight about the state of the world.� And so they left to sleep and try to forget the nightmare that was life, at least for a little while.
| Jump to: |
Quick Links: Bobby's Stories | Nathan's Stories | Government | Map | Main