Because before taxes, the only certainty was death. Mr. Green, Mr. Green, did you know that you're referencing Mark Twain? I'm not referencing Mark Twain, me from the past. I'm referencing Benjamin Franklin, who was probably himself referencing the unfortunately named playwright Christopher Bullock. Listen, you may be smart, kid, but I've been smart longer. By the way, today's illustration points out that an eye for an eye leaves the whole world monocular. So about 5,000 years ago, in the land Meso, or between, the Tigris and Euphrates Potomoy, or rivers, cities started popping up, much like they had in our old friend the Indus River Valley.