Thomas Paine on War and Taxes

[Excerpts from Common Sense and from Rights of Man regarding war and taxes] 

Our plan is commerce, and that, well attended to, will secure us the peace and friendship of all Europe; because it is in the interest of all Europe to have America a free port.  Her trade will always be her protection...

[The government appears] to say to itself: "If nobody will be so kind as to become my foe, I shall need no more fleets or armies, and shall be forced to reduce my taxes."

...taxes were not raised to carry on wars, but that wars were raised to carry on taxes.

...if [the King] rashly declares war as a matter of right, and [Parliment] peremptorily withholds the supplies as a matter of right, the remedy becomes as bad, or worse, than the disease.  The one forces the Nation to combat, and the other ties its hands; but the more probable issue is that the contest will end in a collusion between the parties, and be made a screen to both.

[It is interesting to note that our Founding Fathers expressly vested the authority to commit the military in the Legislative to avoid this situation.

Congress shall have Power... To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;

For the past sixty years, however, the President has had the ability to commit the Armies, while the Legislative simply approves funding.  Supposedly this is a "check" on the President committing us to wars that are not in the best interest of the Nation, however as Mr. Paine points out, this is rarely the case in practice, since once committed it would be a churlish man indeed who denied supplies to Troops already engaged in combat.]