On the recordJanuary 1, 1791
Had governments agreed to quarrel on purpose to fleece their countries by taxes, they could not have succeeded better than they have done.
Said by
Thomas Paine
Source
gutenberg.orgThomas Paine: “Had governments agreed to quarrel on purpose to fleece their countries by taxes, they could not have succeeded better…”
Editor's note · Context
Paine cynically observes that governments, through their conflicts and taxation, have effectively plundered their own nations as if by design.
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