Barney Frank once famously said, "Government is simply the name we give to the things we choose to do together." There are a lot of things you could say about that quote, but the first one that comes to mind for me is who is this “we” exactly?
This is exactly why I have never, and will never as long as I live, vote anything but a firm “NO” to any and all requests for a tax increase of any kind whatsoever. If decades of life experience have taught me nothing else, it’s this: 1) most taxes go to things which directly benefit me not one iota, 2) the vast majority of time that I vote no, there will be enough gullible taxpayers who out of guilt if not personal selfishness will vote yes and ram the increase down my throat anyway, and most importantly 3) when push comes to shove, the funds will ALWAYS be found to cover the essentials. You can bet that when the garbage isn’t getting picked up, enough people will raise enough of a stink that wasteful government officials will manage to find a frill to cut elsewhere so as to cover what really matters. I have never, ever been personally inconvenienced for long - if ever - by the failure, albeit far too rare, of a tax increase request.
"Some people have come to think that it’s the government paying for these things, but that’s exactly backward." Exactly! And let's not forget that each time the "government" prints more money, they're adding to the debt being placed on the shoulders of our children and grandchildren for decades to come.
Well said! Love the old car analogy. When I hear that Biden is sending every dime he can to Ukraine before he leaves office, i feel bitter. Especially when this man has been knee deep in the corruption in this part of the world for a long time.
This is exactly why I have never, and will never as long as I live, vote anything but a firm “NO” to any and all requests for a tax increase of any kind whatsoever. If decades of life experience have taught me nothing else, it’s this: 1) most taxes go to things which directly benefit me not one iota, 2) the vast majority of time that I vote no, there will be enough gullible taxpayers who out of guilt if not personal selfishness will vote yes and ram the increase down my throat anyway, and most importantly 3) when push comes to shove, the funds will ALWAYS be found to cover the essentials. You can bet that when the garbage isn’t getting picked up, enough people will raise enough of a stink that wasteful government officials will manage to find a frill to cut elsewhere so as to cover what really matters. I have never, ever been personally inconvenienced for long - if ever - by the failure, albeit far too rare, of a tax increase request.
"Some people have come to think that it’s the government paying for these things, but that’s exactly backward." Exactly! And let's not forget that each time the "government" prints more money, they're adding to the debt being placed on the shoulders of our children and grandchildren for decades to come.
Well said! Love the old car analogy. When I hear that Biden is sending every dime he can to Ukraine before he leaves office, i feel bitter. Especially when this man has been knee deep in the corruption in this part of the world for a long time.
If we're *really* going to put taxpayers first, repealing the 16th amendment would be a good way to start. -.-