An old audio clip from the vault proved to be more of a prophecy than a simple commentary on the state of America.
Actor James Woods shared a clip of iconic radio broadcaster Paul Harvey and his chilling comments that could be mistaken for a modern-day report card of the U.S. government – except it was an unfiltered look at taxation from decades ago. It triggered an outpouring of reactions on social media where many lamented the nation’s sorry state and lauded Harvey for his visionary work.
“Every single word was true then, and more relevant now than ever,” Woods wrote in a post on X. “The only difference is that America is now a runaway train with a loco leftist ranting in the locomotive.”
This was spoken by Paul Harvey in 1965. Every single word was true then, and more relevant now than ever. The only difference is that America is now a runaway train with a loco leftist ranting in the locomotive. pic.twitter.com/PGADRs3uTK
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) April 7, 2024
Harvey began his 1965 broadcast titled, “Freedom to Chains,” by noting there is “nothing new” about taxes before going on to shine a lot on the problem.
“At Runnymede, the Magna Carta was handed to King John on the end of a sword denying to royalty the right of unlimited taxation. Yet, you know it was for us, the American People, to become the first in recorded history ever voluntarily to surrender our rights to private property? Oh, yes we did,” the radio legend said.
“With an innocent-sounding Constitutional Amendment, the Sixteenth, which says that ‘Congress shall have the power to lay and collect taxes on incomes from whatever source derived’ and we forgot to put any limit to the extent to which we could tax ourselves. Conceivably, we could be taxed out of all private property. We could be taxed not 70%, 80%, 90% but at 100%. We could be awakened one morning and find the government owns the farm, and the house, and the car, and has a mortgage on the house legally!” Harvey continued.
Paul Harvey was an iconic American radio broadcaster, known for his distinctive voice and unique delivery of the news. Born on September 4, 1918, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Harvey embarked on his radio career in 1933 and quickly became a national treasure with his program “The Rest of…
— J. Michael Smith (@JMichael_Smith) April 7, 2024
“Historically, when any nation has taxed its people more than 25% of their national income, initiative was destroyed and that nation was headed for economic eclipse,” Harvey noted. “Presently (1965) the American People are being taxed 33% of their total income.”
“History says we’ll roll forward on momentum for a little while, but we’d better get some more gas in the tank pretty quick,” he warned.
“You see, ours is not the first “By-George” good government to arise on the world stage,” Harvey continued, pointing to Rome, Spain, Greece and China as examples.
He went on to note how they grew and prospered and then, “decayed away.”
“Not one of them was ever destroyed by anybody else’s marching legions. Each rotted away morally, socially, culturally, economically simultaneously,” he said, explaining how, as nations “bore bountiful fruit, the people got fat, and when they got fat they got lazy, and when they got lazy they began to want to absolve themselves of personal responsibility and turn over to government to do for them things which traditionally they had been doing for themselves.”
His message, about 10 minutes long, went on to look at history, the economy, and big government, warning that America could “follow those other great nation-states of history into the graveyard of ignominious oblivion. History promises only this for certain – we will get exactly what we deserve.”
The decades-old message resonated with many on social media who reacted to Woods’ post sharing Harvey’s remarks.
Paul Harvey was a national treasure! Miss his wisdom and this is one of his broadcasts everyone should listen to and weep!
— Karen Cook (@kayceeinva) April 7, 2024
It’s so haunting and sad because it’s so accurate in todays world.
— ❤️Jenny❤️ (@Jenn10007) April 7, 2024
Makes me sad, but I don’t want to lose hope. That was 1965, 59 years ago, and we’re still here. Limping, but here. In 2026, if we’re lucky, and keep fighting, we’ll celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States.
— Shiny Things Fascinate (@corby333) April 7, 2024
so fitting now
— Trump.AI (@Obielicious) April 7, 2024
I would have never believed it could be this accurate until 2008. It was a nice 4 year break, but look what happened in less than these 4 years. Destruction at every turn. Constant chaos and mismanagement. Dereliction of duties. Crime and no accountability.
— Leesa B. Sarcasm (@LeesaBaccellie4) April 7, 2024
What a voice! Just listening to Paul Harvey brings encouragement of soul. What happened to America. This is hard to see as we get closer to November. Even though Trump is the clear winner of the last election. What a mess if they can’t steal this one, what a mess Trump will have.…
— David Crutchfield (@DavidCr56217319) April 8, 2024
It’s all happening…right in front of our eyes.
— Jim Harrison (@jimaggie93) April 8, 2024
So prophetic
— DILLIGAF (@IrishJack59) April 7, 2024
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Author: Frieda Powers
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