Abstract

In this short story Leon, a man of African descent, and Pete, a man of unknown ethnicity, are discussing the results of some recent presidential primaries. It appears that a man named Jim, who has won the last two primaries, might become the next president, and Elizabeth, a woman of Samoan descent, might become his vice president. The conversation turns to the views of Jim and Elizabeth on a range of political and economic issues. Leon raises the issue of how income taxes are a modern form of slavery, since they confiscate the fruits of a worker’s labor, a view that was expressed by Harvard philosopher Robert Nozick in his book, Anarchy, State and Utopia, and by Frederick Douglass, a former slave.

Keywords: Taxation, Theft, Income Tax, Slavery, Nozick, Frederick Douglass, Economic Policy, Health Care, Education, Tax Freedom Day, Fair Share, Affirmative Action, Wealth Tax, Estate Tax, Short Story