Thursday, June 17, 2010

Debt. Why do states and countries have any?

This is an interesting article. Aside from the "No taxes 100 years ago" part it is a good concept. In truth, 100 years ago there were excise taxes, property taxes, and sales taxes. There were no income taxes or transportation taxes.

The truth of the matter is that most Americans are not opposed to being taxed. The problem with being taxed comes with the perceived value of the services provided by the money that we give to the government, as well as the perceived efficiency of those using our moneys.

For many middle class Americans, what we expect from our government is fairly easy to accomplish; smooth roads, electricity, clean water, sewage and garbage services... We want to know that building aren't going to spontaneously fall down and that our kids toys aren't poisoning them with lead. If the government provided a clear report on the utilities provided(utilities that most persons actually used), I doubt anyone would argue with paying moderate taxes at all.

Where I draw the line is when the government escalates taxes due to poor efficiency, or dedicating our hard earned money to causes that do not merit the application of those funds.

Somehow, our state government in CA has dramatically increased our spending in the last decade - and it is not readily apparent where the money is going. City or highway, driving can be compared to off-roading in many places. I need additional filters in my home for my water because the water here is so bad. All summer long I have to deal with "brown outs" or black outs. My toilets flush, but my kids diapers still stink! (ok, that was a joke) My point is, there is NO PERCEIVED VALUE to all of this extra spending. Specialty groups get the money for whatever purpose - when our society and our economy would be better served by cutting our spending (and thus taxes), and letting the increase in discretionary income have its own positive impact on our economy and society.

OK, with that being said, enjoy the article.


545 VS THE PEOPLE

By Charlie Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them...Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits? Have you ever wondered if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes? You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does. You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million who are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country. I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress.

In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason... They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party. What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits...The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker Of the House? Nancy Pelosi. She is the leader of the majority party... She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million can not replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red...

If the Army & Marines are in IRAQ , it's because they want them in IRAQ .

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way...

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power.

Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or" politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people and they alone, are responsible.

They and they alone, have the power.

They and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.

Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees... We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY? Not a single tax existed 100 years ago(not true, see my comments above), and our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

What in the hell happened? Can you spell 'politicians?'


No comments: