The wealthy, big business and large corporations don't pay enough!
(As published in the Lake Sun Leader)
By the time President Bush leaves office, some economists estimate that this war could cost the American people as much as one trillion dollars.
From the same party that gave us such hits as "Voodoo Economics" and the ever-popular "Trickle Down Theory" comes the latest-greatest hit, "Let's run up the highest debt in history without making any provisions to pay for any of it."
Never mind looking for nonexistent "Weapons of Mass Destruction" in Iraq, the Republicans are the homegrown version of "Weapons of Mass Fiscal Irresponsibility."
I am a simple man who barely passed junior college economics, but I think something may be wrong with this picture.
Even President Ahmadinejad of Iran mentioned that President Bush has nearly bankrupted the country with, his unbridled, carefree spending policies.
When a crazy person sees something is wrong, we might want to consider taking back the checkbook from the children.
If we think taxes are high now, wait until the federal government decides it is time to pay down some of this crushing debt created in the last eight years.
Where will they find the money?
Unfortunately by increasing taxes when we elect (and re-elect) politicians that think they run "Fantasy Land," the resulting calamity is our own doing.
Contrary to what they may believe, they have been spending real money, not monopoly money.
When and how should we draw the line on paying increased or new taxes?
We must first stop electing Republicans like Missouri State Rep. Dr. Wayne Cooper and the others from right here at the lake.
We Democrats cringed when Gov. Matt Blunt appeared on television and in print news beaming with pride as he announced that his/Cooper's Republican majority had just saved a bunch of money by kicking 170,000 poor Missourians off of Medicaid.
Fiscally responsible folks quickly saw through the smoke and-mirrors show put on by the governor and realized they didn't save Missourians one red cent.
All they managed to do was shift the costs from the Medicaid program to the already overburdened hospitals/emergency rooms throughout the state (at a much higher cost to Missourians than the Medicaid program).
When the state can't pay the bills, their answer is to cut funding to the programs that help the most vulnerable and least represented people in the state.
Increased taxes are most often the direct result of mismanaged government spending, whether it be at the township, village, city, county, state or national level.
Instead of working within balanced budgets, it is much easier to tax folks.
Taxes are not inherently evil, it's how those tax dollars are spent and how fairly the taxes are levied.
If the folks who are living paycheck to paycheck are shouldering the brunt of the tax burden that is unfair, plain and simple.
If the majority of the tax burden is carried by big business, the wealthy and huge corporations, they can afford increased taxes.
I couldn't give a hoot if paying increased taxes means the rich might not be able to afford a third home, or corporations will only show a three billion dollar profit instead of a four billion dollar profit for the year.
The Democrats say tax those who can afford to pay, if anyone should receive tax breaks let it be the small business owners, the poor, elderly, students, families, middle class, working-class majority that work hard and already pay more than their fair share in tax!
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