Taxation without representation was the protest offered during the 1750’s and 60’s that lit the fuse of the American Revolution.
Unwanted taxation was the centerpiece of the argument by foes of annexation attempts in recent months by the city of Chattanooga.
The words, now approaching 236 years of age, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed … ” resulted from a belief in a nation being born out of adversity that individuals were having their wealth and labor confiscated.
North Dakota has earned significant media coverage in recent months with more than 900 billion barrels of proven reserves of oil in place. Compare that to the Persian Gulf with 747 billion of proven oil reserves, according to the U.S. Department of State.
The discovery and extraction of oil in the state that borders Canada, which supplies almost 20 percent of America’s imported oil, has created a little problem for North Dakota, whose nickname “The Peace Garden State” easily could change based on its new-found resource and the “more than 20,000 job openings statewide” advertised on its website.