It has become fashionable among the socialist Left to denigrate the founding of America.  A popular theme is that our founders simply did not want to pay more taxes.  People think the phrase "no taxation without representation" proves their point.  I am sure that as loyal collectivists, they feel that our wealthy founders were not taxed enough.  But that notion of no taxation without representation was not invented by the colonial Americans.  This was a long established tradition in England, believed to have been extant since the Magna Carta.  The colonists considered themselves loyal British citizens and entitled to the same rights as those in the mother country.  The Stamp Act that was passed was frankly illegal and was rescinded just four months later.  The amount of tax was trivial.  But imposing the tax was viewed as an impingement on their rights as British...(Read Full Post)