Re:The U.S. government's long and shameful history of interc...
by shadowgovt on Sunday August 08, 2021 @07:09AM
(#28105871)
That's an oft-misunderstood quote.
The Penn family was trying to buy their way out of having their American land-holdings taxed by offering to pay mercenaries to protect the Colony (in a single lump sum). Franklin was arguing the Colony should assert its sovereign right to tax the family.
The "essential liberty" in question was the liberty of a government to levy tax as it saw fit to provide for a common defence.
The Penn family was trying to buy their way out of having their American land-holdings taxed by offering to pay mercenaries to protect the Colony (in a single lump sum). Franklin was arguing the Colony should assert its sovereign right to tax the family.
The "essential liberty" in question was the liberty of a government to levy tax as it saw fit to provide for a common defence.