Some days you just can't avoid seeing the State's ugliness – even in places of refuge that are supposed to provide solace and comfort. Recently rereading the book of Genesis, I found a depressing little illustration of the eternal nature of government. You may remember the story of Joseph, the son of Jacob, who was sold by his jealous brothers into slavery, ended up in Egypt as a servant to the captain of Pharaoh's palace guard, was falsely accused of attempted rape by his master's wife, and was jailed. He stayed there until Pharaoh had a dream that his soothsayers would not interpret for him. Pharaoh's cupbearer remembered the young Hebrew who had correctly interpreted dreams in prison, and Joseph was summoned to the royal court. Joseph told Pharaoh that the dream meant that Egypt was going to experience seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. Pharaoh elevated Joseph to the status of vizier (think: prime minister, Dick Cheney, etc.), and Joseph set about preparing Egypt for the years of famine.

In the years of plenty, the Egyptian government under Joseph's direction "collected" one-fifth of the grain produced in the land. Did government agents purchase the grain from farmers? There's no indication of money changing hands. Was it collected by voluntary contributions from the populace? Doubtful. Actually, Joseph told Pharaoh: "Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land, and take one-fifth of the produce of the land. . ." (Gen. 41:34; New American Standard; emphasis supplied). So the jack-sandaled thugs took the grain, but apparently to promote the general welfare: the food was collected as a reserve to be used during the famine, "so that the land may not perish through the famine." (Gen. 41:36)

So far, so good. I realize that a 20 percent tax rate sounds extreme to freedom-loving folks in the 21st century A.D., but you have to understand that those ancient Egyptian yokels weren't as sophisticated as we are. And even we might accept such a tax rate temporarily if we truly believed a real emergency were on the way. In any case, the problem comes when the famine hits. The grain that was taken by the government in the good years is not given back during the famine – it is sold back to the starving people for cash! (41:56) As the famine deepens, the government vacuums up all the currency in Egypt and neighboring Canaan. (47:15)

It gets worse. As we have learned so well in recent decades, where ordinary people see a crisis, the State sees an Opportunity. The year after the money runs out, the people trade their livestock for the government grain (which, of course, used to be their grain). The next year, they trade their land. Finally, when there is nothing else to trade, they agree to become slaves of Pharaoh. All of them: "As for the people, he made slaves of them from one end of Egypt to the other." (47:21)

Thus, using the taxing power and a little foresight, Pharaoh ends up with all the cash in the country, all the livestock, all the land, and the entire population enslaved to him. Say what you will about Egyptian civilization, but they sure had the government part down pat. In fact, I can almost see Pharaoh berating the twentieth century's tyrants as amateurish pikers as they pass the time in their Eternal Reward, wherever that might be.

I almost forgot the punch line: after the deal was struck to enslave the whole population of Egypt, the government enacted a statute that imposed the 20 percent tax rate for all time, famine or no famine. And that tax was still in existence when the book of Genesis was written, over 400 years later. (47:26) It's good to be the State. Always has been. Well, at least for the last four thousand years.

August 16, 2001