For generations, Americans have been deceived, manipulated, and financially enslaved by a system designed not to serve them, but to extract from them. We have watched as our hard-earned tax dollars -- money taken from our paychecks, our businesses, our families -- have been siphoned off to fund endless wars, bloated bureaucracies, and foreign regimes while our own country crumbles. We have seen our elected officials, Republican and Democrat alike, become millionaires while sitting in office, amassing fortunes through lobbying, insider trading, and outright theft under the guise of “public service.”

This is the year it stops.

The corruption is no longer hidden in the shadows. It’s right in front of us. Thanks to relentless truth-seekers like DOGE and others exposing the financial crimes of our so-called leaders, we now have undeniable proof of what many of us have long suspected: We are funding our own destruction.

Let’s call it what it is -- theft. The U.S. government has stolen from us for decades. Every dollar taken through federal taxation is a dollar they believe they have the right to spend however they see fit, without accountability, without transparency, and without consequence. The so-called representatives we elect have been funneling billions into foreign aid while veterans sleep on the streets. They have built empires on taxpayer-funded budgets, handing out lucrative contracts to friends, family, and donors, all while America’s middle class is hollowed out.

Think about this: How is it that we are trillions in debt, yet our government officials and our so-called “public servants” somehow continue getting richer? The answer is simple -- they are using the system to enrich themselves while keeping you enslaved to it.

And one of the biggest culprits is the lobbyist. Lobbying in America is nothing more than legalized bribery. We are the only nation that allows corporations to openly buy influence in our government. While they disguise it under terms like “advocacy” and “policy influence,” the reality is far more sinister: Corporate interests write the laws, fund the campaigns, and dictate the policies that impact every facet of our lives. Our leaders aren’t serving the people -- they are serving their corporate donors.

This is why our tax dollars are funneled into programs and initiatives that do not serve the American people. This is why Congress never secures our borders, never stops inflation, never dismantles the corrupt agencies that reach into our lives. They don’t work for you. They work for the highest bidder.

It has to end.

The enforcement arm of this tyranny is the IRS. Pres. Trump has floated the idea of abolishing the IRS -- and it’s about time. The IRS has never been about fairness or equity. It is the federal government’s financial security detail, ensuring that every American stays obedient, compliant, and trapped in a cycle of taxation without representation. The U.S. tax code is deliberately incomprehensible, designed to confuse and ensnare the average person while allowing the elite to exploit loopholes and exemptions.

Why do billion-dollar corporations and congressmen routinely pay little or no taxes while the American middle class carries the burden? Because they wrote the rules to benefit themselves.

Many Americans are going through a grieving process right now. They are waking up to the reality that the system they trusted, the government they believed in, has betrayed them. It’s a painful realization -- but it is a necessary one.

There is a moment of anger that follows -- and rightfully so. Anger at the trillions wasted. Anger at the wars fought on false pretenses. Anger at the politicians who have grown fat while the people suffer.

But anger alone is not enough. We must act. 2025 must be the year of action. We can no longer sit back and allow this corruption to continue unchecked. We must demand accountability. We must demand audits. We must demand the dismantling of agencies that exist solely to control us.

This is not a partisan issue. This is the people versus the ruling class.

We must demand an end to foreign aid until America’s own problems are fixed. Support leaders who vow to abolish the IRS and overhaul the corrupt tax system. Call out every single politician, Republican or Democrat, who has enriched themselves while in office. Push for the end of corporate lobbying and insider trading in Congress. Take control of our own financial futures -- stop playing their game and start building alternative economies.

We are at a turning point. The corruption has been laid bare. The chains of financial enslavement have been exposed.

Will we finally break them?

Maureen Steele is co-founder of the American Made Foundation is an organization that connects influential leaders and grassroots movements to drive real change. 

Image: Paris 16