I don't understand these TEA Party people. So they think that they pay too much in taxes? What is it that they don't get about the fact that 98% of the wealth of this country is held by a mere 2% of the people? Doesn't that somehow strike them as something of an oligarchy? Don't they get that the wealthiest people and companies in this country pay the least amount of taxes? Don't they realize just how many wealthy people hide their money in offshore tax havens to keep it out of the hands of Uncle Sam, where it might actually do some good? I don't get it. What is their beef? Why do people have such a bizarre tendency to vote against their own economic well being? Why do these people support an agenda so far off the mainstream that, if they had their way, we would end up in a totally unrecognizable country? And why do I get the awful feeling that Sarah Palin is going to run for President in 2012 and win? (Gee, and I wonder if she does win, is she going to quit midterm like she did during her tenure as Governor of Alaska?) Look, no one likes paying taxes, least of all me, but if it furthers the public good, like paying for police and fire protection, excellent public schools, good roads, bridges and crucial infrastructure, and supports public libraries and other public institutions, then I am all for it and more than happy to pay my fair share. I am the product of excellent public schools and a state funded university. My excellent college education, paid for at taxpayer expense via my father's Social Security and VA survivor's money, allowed me to land a rewarding career at which I have worked now for 27½ years. I figure that in that time, I have probably more than paid back the monies it took to pay my way through college, so it was a win-win situation for all. The government saw to it that I was educated, and to return the favor, I landed a career that allowed me to become a productive tax paying citizen instead of a public burden. This was no loan that I had to pay back, but money from Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal that helped our country to become the wealthiest and most productive in the world.
Now there are people who want to get rid of or significantly reduce what they call "entitlement spending". First off, let me be clear: I
hate that word "entitlement". Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare and VA benefits are
not some sort of government "hand-out" given to undeserving people. They are benefits given to people who have either earned them or need them. I rightfully understand the concerns regarding so-called "entitlement spending" that are exploding and sucking up a bigger portion of government spending every year. As a Baby Boomer, I know that our generation is approaching retirement age and because there are so many of us, meeting Social Security payout obligations is going to stretch the federal budget a great deal. I understand that. I'm also a firm believer in paying our veterans the benefits they deserve for their service to our country. Anyone who wears this country's uniform deserves to be cared for when the time comes in payment for what they do. They should get a GI Bill comparable to that given to our parent's generation that would allow them to receive a fully paid for college education that would then allow them to go out and become a productive, tax paying citizen, and those benefits ought to extend to members of their families as well, like it did for mine. When or if that veteran dies, whether in service to this country or after discharge, VA and Social Security survivor's money ought to be paid out to that veteran's family to allow them to live in dignity without fear of sinking into poverty. That's just simply the right thing to do. I am more than happy to pay my fair share of taxes to see to it that we have a fair, just and equitable system that isn't rewarding laziness but rather allows people to stay out of poverty and have a life of dignity. Why don't people get that? Why do people somehow feel that it's un-American to pay their taxes?
Sure, I dislike what I regard as wasteful government spending, pork barrel projects where that money could be used for something that could be used toward the greater good, but hey, every legislator wants to bring home the bacon to their districts to fund their pet projects back home. If it's truly worthwhile, I don't have a problem with it, but if it's something like the famed "Bridge to Nowhere", that's a total boondoggle and should be quashed. I'm against government waste that should long since have been gotten rid of. Weed out the deadwood, streamline operations where they can be done, get rid of wasteful government programs that don't work, root out corruption in agencies like the Minerals Management Service and others where government watchdogs get too cozy with industry insiders - I'm all for that sort of thing, but let's not defund public schools, libraries, police and fire departments, infrastructure and other things that run on public funds. I'm completely against the privatization of government entities and funds like Social Security. With the recent Wall Street bust, had those things been running on private money, this recession could have been disastrous for all of them. As it is, it's not been very kind and public sector jobs have suffered layoffs as well, but I doubt they were as catastrophic as those suffered in the private sector. Those of us in the public sector have had our hits due to this economic downturn due to less taxpayer money being collected as a result of high unemployment. Some libraries have been forced to close or drastically reduce hours, teachers have been laid off, firemen and policemen have been laid off, but it seems that people become a lot more upset when their public services are curtailed for lack of money and that is when they seem to realize how much they need us. I just hope that this taxpayer revolt going on in the insurgent TEA Party doesn't turn people against their public servants who they rely on every day via their taxpayer dollars. After all, it's when we're gone that they miss us the most and I hope that they appreciate all they get for what they are paying in taxes. It's not all government waste and boondoggle, after all. It's what they take for granted until it's gone. Let's hope that they remember that come November midterm elections.
I don't understand these TEA Party people. So they think that they pay too much in taxes? What is it that they don't get about the fact that 98% of the wealth of this country is held by a mere 2% of the people? Doesn't that somehow strike them as something of an oligarchy? Don't they get that the wealthiest people and companies in this country pay the least amount of taxes? Don't they realize just how many wealthy people hide their money in offshore tax havens to keep it out of the hands of Uncle Sam, where it might actually do some good? I don't get it. What is their beef? Why do people have such a bizarre tendency to vote against their own economic well being? Why do these people support an agenda so far off the mainstream that, if they had their way, we would end up in a totally unrecognizable country? And why do I get the awful feeling that Sarah Palin is going to run for President in 2012 and win? (Gee, and I wonder if she does win, is she going to quit midterm like she did during her tenure as Governor of Alaska?) Look, no one likes paying taxes, least of all me, but if it furthers the public good, like paying for police and fire protection, excellent public schools, good roads, bridges and crucial infrastructure, and supports public libraries and other public institutions, then I am all for it and more than happy to pay my fair share. I am the product of excellent public schools and a state funded university. My excellent college education, paid for at taxpayer expense via my father's Social Security and VA survivor's money, allowed me to land a rewarding career at which I have worked now for 27½ years. I figure that in that time, I have probably more than paid back the monies it took to pay my way through college, so it was a win-win situation for all. The government saw to it that I was educated, and to return the favor, I landed a career that allowed me to become a productive tax paying citizen instead of a public burden. This was no loan that I had to pay back, but money from Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal that helped our country to become the wealthiest and most productive in the world.
Now there are people who want to get rid of or significantly reduce what they call "entitlement spending". First off, let me be clear: I hate that word "entitlement". Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare and VA benefits are not some sort of government "hand-out" given to undeserving people. They are benefits given to people who have either earned them or need them. I rightfully understand the concerns regarding so-called "entitlement spending" that are exploding and sucking up a bigger portion of government spending every year. As a Baby Boomer, I know that our generation is approaching retirement age and because there are so many of us, meeting Social Security payout obligations is going to stretch the federal budget a great deal. I understand that. I'm also a firm believer in paying our veterans the benefits they deserve for their service to our country. Anyone who wears this country's uniform deserves to be cared for when the time comes in payment for what they do. They should get a GI Bill comparable to that given to our parent's generation that would allow them to receive a fully paid for college education that would then allow them to go out and become a productive, tax paying citizen, and those benefits ought to extend to members of their families as well, like it did for mine. When or if that veteran dies, whether in service to this country or after discharge, VA and Social Security survivor's money ought to be paid out to that veteran's family to allow them to live in dignity without fear of sinking into poverty. That's just simply the right thing to do. I am more than happy to pay my fair share of taxes to see to it that we have a fair, just and equitable system that isn't rewarding laziness but rather allows people to stay out of poverty and have a life of dignity. Why don't people get that? Why do people somehow feel that it's un-American to pay their taxes? 
Sure, I dislike what I regard as wasteful government spending, pork barrel projects where that money could be used for something that could be used toward the greater good, but hey, every legislator wants to bring home the bacon to their districts to fund their pet projects back home. If it's truly worthwhile, I don't have a problem with it, but if it's something like the famed "Bridge to Nowhere", that's a total boondoggle and should be quashed. I'm against government waste that should long since have been gotten rid of. Weed out the deadwood, streamline operations where they can be done, get rid of wasteful government programs that don't work, root out corruption in agencies like the Minerals Management Service and others where government watchdogs get too cozy with industry insiders - I'm all for that sort of thing, but let's not defund public schools, libraries, police and fire departments, infrastructure and other things that run on public funds. I'm completely against the privatization of government entities and funds like Social Security. With the recent Wall Street bust, had those things been running on private money, this recession could have been disastrous for all of them. As it is, it's not been very kind and public sector jobs have suffered layoffs as well, but I doubt they were as catastrophic as those suffered in the private sector. Those of us in the public sector have had our hits due to this economic downturn due to less taxpayer money being collected as a result of high unemployment. Some libraries have been forced to close or drastically reduce hours, teachers have been laid off, firemen and policemen have been laid off, but it seems that people become a lot more upset when their public services are curtailed for lack of money and that is when they seem to realize how much they need us. I just hope that this taxpayer revolt going on in the insurgent TEA Party doesn't turn people against their public servants who they rely on every day via their taxpayer dollars. After all, it's when we're gone that they miss us the most and I hope that they appreciate all they get for what they are paying in taxes. It's not all government waste and boondoggle, after all. It's what they take for granted until it's gone. Let's hope that they remember that come November midterm elections. 
1 comment:
Like the real patriots of the American revolution I'm in favor of dumping tea and switching to this new drink...coffee. :)
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