Here’s a perfect description of the contempt in which the government holds its subjects. The attorney below is commenting on the Snipes verdict, which sent him to prison for 3 years.
“We think it sends a real message,” U.S. Attorney Robert O’Neill said. “Again you have to pay your taxes. If you dispute the taxes you owe, contact the IRS and go through the formal process. To continually just say, ‘I don’t owe taxes, you must show me why I owe taxes,’ it seemed his position was ludicrous.”