Death and Taxes
Taxes are good.
Taxes build roads, schools, and hospitals. Taxes pay for scientific research, social programs, infrastructure, and defense. To live in this great nation, we must pay our dues in the form of taxes.Conservatives have long used the issue of taxes to dupe hard working citizens into voting against their own self-interest.
The issue is never as simple as cutting taxes and reducing spending.
Under Republican "tax relief", I may save $600 on my federal income taxes while at the same time I have to pay more for after-school programs and health insurance for my children.
When my kids go to college, that $600 might pay for one class, woooooohoooooo!Maybe I'll spend that $600 on private music lessons because there are no more music programs in public schools.
I could use the $600 to pay chiropractic bills for my kids after they've worked a few years picking fruit...since they won't have a college education and our borders will be sealed up tight.Maybe my kids will chose their other option and join the military instead. "Tax relief" and spending cuts won't effect the military, right?
Well...the bulk of military spending doesn't go to the troops; it goes to large corporations, the investors in which are the true beneficiaries of this tax reform plan. So, even with an Army paycheck, my kids will still be living below the poverty line.
Meanwhile, the true beneficiaries of the so called "tax relief" will be spending their million dollar refund investing in a corporation that has just shut down all of its domestic manufacturing plants and moved them to China. Good thing we also have that free trade.
I can then take my $600 and go to Wal-Mart and buy some cheap Chinese-made bauble that will make me feel like I'm still in the middle class.
Taxes are good.
We will always have taxes, the real issues center around who pays how much and how will the money be spent.
The Republican elite endeavor to cheat taxes as they endeavor to cheat death through offshore accounts, loopholes, and access to the best doctors and medical care.
There can be no wealth without labor (I forget who originally said that). The wealthy seek to shift taxes from investments, assets, and corporations with so called "simplified tax code" schemes. These schemes generally propose flat taxes on income. While many hard working people like the sound of a "simple tax", they must be made aware that this will only increase their tax burden as moneyed folk have an uncanny knack for appearing income free while living high on the hog.
I don’t want to die young. I want to work hard, contribute to society, and have access to quality health care. I’ll pay my taxes, and probably never be wealthy. That’s O.K.
I want my children to have a better life than me. I want them to go to college, get good jobs, and raise their families in safe, friendly neighborhoods. I don’t want them to go to war or be killed by a terrorist because my government is in the pocket of the wealthy elite. Corporate interests are not my interests.
To those who still believe you might someday become rich, get over it. The carrot dangling in front of you is a mirage. Your chances of becoming a rock star, professional athlete, lottery winner, or reality TV show contestant are astronomical.
Work hard, pay your taxes, hold your government accountable, and die happy at a ripe old age knowing you left the world in better shape then when you came into it.
Taxes build roads, schools, and hospitals. Taxes pay for scientific research, social programs, infrastructure, and defense. To live in this great nation, we must pay our dues in the form of taxes.Conservatives have long used the issue of taxes to dupe hard working citizens into voting against their own self-interest.
The issue is never as simple as cutting taxes and reducing spending.
Under Republican "tax relief", I may save $600 on my federal income taxes while at the same time I have to pay more for after-school programs and health insurance for my children.
When my kids go to college, that $600 might pay for one class, woooooohoooooo!Maybe I'll spend that $600 on private music lessons because there are no more music programs in public schools.
I could use the $600 to pay chiropractic bills for my kids after they've worked a few years picking fruit...since they won't have a college education and our borders will be sealed up tight.Maybe my kids will chose their other option and join the military instead. "Tax relief" and spending cuts won't effect the military, right?
Well...the bulk of military spending doesn't go to the troops; it goes to large corporations, the investors in which are the true beneficiaries of this tax reform plan. So, even with an Army paycheck, my kids will still be living below the poverty line.
Meanwhile, the true beneficiaries of the so called "tax relief" will be spending their million dollar refund investing in a corporation that has just shut down all of its domestic manufacturing plants and moved them to China. Good thing we also have that free trade.
I can then take my $600 and go to Wal-Mart and buy some cheap Chinese-made bauble that will make me feel like I'm still in the middle class.
Taxes are good.
We will always have taxes, the real issues center around who pays how much and how will the money be spent.
The Republican elite endeavor to cheat taxes as they endeavor to cheat death through offshore accounts, loopholes, and access to the best doctors and medical care.
There can be no wealth without labor (I forget who originally said that). The wealthy seek to shift taxes from investments, assets, and corporations with so called "simplified tax code" schemes. These schemes generally propose flat taxes on income. While many hard working people like the sound of a "simple tax", they must be made aware that this will only increase their tax burden as moneyed folk have an uncanny knack for appearing income free while living high on the hog.
I don’t want to die young. I want to work hard, contribute to society, and have access to quality health care. I’ll pay my taxes, and probably never be wealthy. That’s O.K.
I want my children to have a better life than me. I want them to go to college, get good jobs, and raise their families in safe, friendly neighborhoods. I don’t want them to go to war or be killed by a terrorist because my government is in the pocket of the wealthy elite. Corporate interests are not my interests.
To those who still believe you might someday become rich, get over it. The carrot dangling in front of you is a mirage. Your chances of becoming a rock star, professional athlete, lottery winner, or reality TV show contestant are astronomical.
Work hard, pay your taxes, hold your government accountable, and die happy at a ripe old age knowing you left the world in better shape then when you came into it.
posted by CitizenPundit at 10:49 AM
9 Comments:
well yeah ofcorse taxes are good and usefull but i always say Born Free.....but who the hell are we kidding....Born Free but Taxed to Death
I like the way you think. I'll recommend this site to all the other progressives in my group.
Keep up the good work!
I actually talked to a conservative who said he would not even pay taxes for roads. If we want to travel somewhere, we should pay for it. The people who want to stay at home shouldn't have to...It's scary out there!
Like your blog!
Thanks Jenni,
I wonder how that conservative feels about national defense. Would he propose we all buy plane tickets to Iraq and Afghanistan since they posed such an imminent threat?
Perhaps that's why conservatives oppose the ban on assault rifles...now I get it.
First, thanks for your comment.
I'm not sure you read Article 1, Section 8 thoroughly. The first paragraph states:
The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States
Notice "common defense and general welfare"
Granted, most of Section 8 does refer to taxation for military purposes. However, it also calls on congress to use taxes to establish post offices and post ROADS. Section 8 also grants congress the power to "promote the progress of science and useful arts".
There are many ways to interpret the Constitution, just like there are many ways to interpret the Bible. You can't take every word on its face value without allowing for the spirit or intent of the words and the changing of society over time.
The authors of the Constitution had good reason to be wary of taxation. The English pariament was had levied heavy taxes on the colonists which did nothing to aid their general welfare.
The intent, however, was to create a free and fair society for ALL Americans allowing their own representatives to levy taxes. The famous phrase, "No taxation without representation" dealt more with the lack of representation in parliament than a dislike of taxes.
The Tenth Ammendment allows the states to provide for whatever the federal government doesn't. State taxes do pay for roads, hospitals, and social programs.
My original post did not specify taxes from either entity, but addressed the issue of tax reform. I live in California. We have a huge financial crisis here. Gov. Arnold ran on a familiar sounding platform of tax reform and "no new taxes." Unfortunately, its not going to work unless we drastically cut spending for schools, health care, and yes, even non-postal roads.
Though I'm not an economist, I don't believe in "trickle down economics". Though sound in theory, it doesn't work in reality.
Large corporations and the wealthy gain the most from society, therefore, they should carry the bulk of the burden in supporting that society.
In a perfect world, we would not need taxes at all, the "haves" would take care of the "have nots" out of a sense of altruistic duty. Unfortunately this is not a perfect world. Look at all the recent examples of corporate greed. Or, better yet, read The Lorax by Dr. Suess.
I'm enjoying this. Thanks for the good conversation, although taxes aren't my strong suit. Let me think...
Yes, I believe in equality, but simply saying things are equal does not make it so in reality. So...sometimes we have to level the playing field.
Also, everything is relative. 10% for the wealthy hurts alot less then 10% from someone who is barely getting by. (I'm in a bit of a hurry, so forgive the lack of research)
Allow me to quote from a book I just finished (Lakoff, don't think of an elephant!):
"Taxation is paying your dues, paying your membership fee in America. If you join a country club or a community center, you pay fees. Why? You did not build the swimming pool. You have to maintain it. You may not use the squash court, but you still have to pay your dues. Otherwise it won't be maintained and it will fall apart. People who avoid taxes, like corporations that move to Bermuda, are not paying their dues to their country. It is patriotic to be a taxpayer. It is traitorous to desert our country and not pay your dues."
"Perhaps Bill Gates Sr. said it best. In arguing to keep the inheritance tax, he pointed out that he and Bill Jr. did not invent the Internet. They just used it - to make billions. There is no such thing as a self-made man. Every businessman has used the vast American infrastructure, which the taxpayerspaid for, to make his money. He did not make his money alone. He used taxpayer infrastructure. He got rich on what other taxpayers paid for: the banking system, the Federal Reserve, the Treasury, and the judicial system, where nine tenths of cases involve corporate law. These taxpayer investments support companies and wealthy investors. There are no self-made men! They owe the taxpayers of this country a great deal and should be paying it back."
Now, I know that didn't cover all the points you've made, but you did mention Bill Gates. As far as arguments in favor of a flat-rate income tax, they are logical and make sense to someone who believes in equality. Unfortunately, they are the same arguments used against social programs and affirmative action (I know, I just opened another can of worms). While on the surface flat-rate equality sounds fair, in practice, it is not.
As far as cutting taxes to stimulate the economy, maybe we could have that discussion during a peace time recession, but it just doesn't hold water when we're racing off to war and in debt up to our eyeballs. Oh...and just look at Wal-Mart to see how that helped the average working stiff.
I gotta run, I hope we'll continue this discussion.
Yes, that was extremely long, but I'll do my best to answer. Sorry its taken me so long to respond, my computer came down with a nasty bug, and I've been really busy with work, trying to get by.
First let me say, I appreciate your comments. You obviously put a great deal of thought into what you write which in turn makes me think a bit more before I respond.
In a way, you remind me of myself when I was in college. Though I was a died in the wool liberal, I looked at the world in a very idealistic way. In that regard, it's very easy to see issues in a black and white, right and wrong manner. In my last response, I was not trying to appeal to your sentimental side, but was merely pointing out that ideology and reality don't necessarily mesh.
The "tabula rasa" concept is ideological. By basing your views on the premise that all men actually are born equal and are "in their predicaments because of decisions they have made" you ignore certain facets of reality. Take, for example, an African American born to sharecroppers in the Mississippi delta. Do you suggest that this person chose to be poor, attend the worst schools, or begin working to help support the family while still a child?
At the other end of the spectrum, lets look at George W. Bush. Did he really rise to his current position because he worked harder or was smarter than those born into different circumstances? Was it his stellar academic achievement or powerful intellect that granted him entry into the top learning institutions?
As far as hating corporations, I don’t. My Wal-Mart comment ties directly to the state of our economy and these tax cuts you believe will benefit us lower earning folk. Perhaps I need to start a new thread for that one. In short, Wal-Mart is a prime example of corporate greed, which left unchecked, is bad for the American economy and the interests of the people.
Post a Comment
<< Home