There's one for you, nineteen for me.

It appears that the liberal princes, dutchesses, and other assorted lesser nobility of the God King are sending out the warning that although they are fair and just rulers to the serfs, their patience and generosity has limits. They have decreed that any serf who finds himself contributing to Republican candidates may incur the King's wrath via severe retribution from the royal tax collectors.

Democrats on K Street are warning their corporate clients: Give to Republican challengers in the 2012 election, and you’ll regret it come tax reform time. Lobbyists are getting that message from allies of powerful Democrats such as Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), who is closely watching support for Rep. Denny Rehberg, a Republican challenging Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.). Baucus supporters fear that if Rehberg ousts Tester, Baucus could be next to face a serious Republican challenge in the state.

One K-Streeter close to the Baucus operation said the senator considers a gift to Rehberg a contribution against him. Another Democratic lobbyist told a client to take his name off a Rehberg fundraising event because it would be hurtful to his company, according to sources.

The case K-Streeters are making to their clients: It will be a hard sell next year to get Baucus’s support on business-friendly tax perks set to expire or the Bush-era tax cuts that must get through his committee.

So, I thought it was the position of our liberal friends that tax collection was a benevolent operation meant to collect funds for the common good. I would say it looks more like taxes are yet another weapon to consolidate power in the federal government and to harass and intimidate the citizenry. We have already seen nearly the complete demise of our federalist system due to the exorbitant amount of funds that our federal government collects each year. The states are now so enslaved to receiving their piece of this federal money that they have little to no will to oppose the federal government out of fear of losing these funds.

Here is what the tenth amendment says:

 “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

Here is how it should read:

"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people, unless the federal government successfully uses taxation to intimidate the states and the people from exercising such powers."

So, as I have outlined above, phase I of removing all powers from the states has effectivly been completed. Now it’s time to move onto phase II, removing all remaining powers left with the people. It’s ok, though. Don’t worry. Your liberal betters know how to run your life better than you do, so just be thankful, keep quiet, and wait in line for your government cheese.