A lot of liberals might be surprised that I'm thrilled that Wesley Snipes will be going to prison for tax evasion.
He was sentenced to three years in prison after being found guilty in April 2008 on three misdemeanor counts of failing to file federal income tax returns.
Snipes made a boatload of money in his career, yet took a principled stand against paying his federal taxes. He claims that the federal government doesn't have constitutional power to impose the income tax, so he didn't file.
This is a great opportunity to point out that this stand makes Snipes a nutcase and not a conservative hero. Conservatives and virtually all tea partiers believe that the federal government has the power to levy an income tax on the populous. We also hold the belief that the federal government is sloppy, wasteful, and exercises authority far too often. Essentially, we think that the government squanders our money.
However, very few of us are like Wesley Snipes. We pay our taxes. We grumble and complain about it, but that is our right as Americans. We don't respect some jerk who thinks that he doesn't have to follow the law of the land.
Wesley Snipes would have been better off working for political change to reduce government spending, and ultimately his tax rates. He could have done some good. Instead, he took a crazy approach and will soon be handed over to the US Marshals.
