The first 145 when half of the adult population, namely women, were disenfranchised. I ll tell you what is really precipitating our moral decay, it s the making of one law after another until almost everything is illegal and we re all becoming criminals. Often the regulations bureaucrats write are in defiance of Congress. It s usually those regulations, that are unconstitutional, but are never debated on the floor of the House or the Senate that, even if they were simply following Congressional orders, the bureaucrats should not be absolved of responsibility for the way they trample on our Bill of Rights anymore than were the guards in concentration camps for the atrocities they committed because they were following orders. The only thing I can say in defense of Congress and the IRS is that neither is really the culprit.
Culpability lies with the electorate.
I can t believe how many people complain about what their government, including their IRS does, then go out and vote for the same fools who have consigned us to this regulatory hell we re living in. My story was eqally sad, but with a happy ending. Most of our visitors complain about the snakes, scorpions, flys, knats, cactus, outhouse, you name it, and leave within a few hours. They totally miss the voice of Mother Earth. I have the rustle of leaves, the songs of birds, the feel of breezes on my skin, the smell of clean, clear mountain air and five other hardy souls who appreciate eco-sustainable rural living over a city existence.