Back to Algernon Sidney

Now the Venezuelan opposition is encouraging citizens to stop paying taxes. Again I raise the question: has Chavez abrogated his constitutional responsibilities to his constituents? If so, then you could argue either the Locke argument that citizens have the right to rebel, or the Sidney argument that citizens have the responsibility to rebel.

The extent to which Venezuelans do indeed stop paying taxes will indicate both the risks they are willing to take to get rid of their democratically-elected despot and the probability that those people assign to the downfall of the Chavez government.

Now there’s even the possibility of a a two-day bank strike in Venezuela.