Verrrry Interrrresting...

Yes, I'm a bit of a politico at heart. You might have guessed that already from my previous posts. I suppose that is why I also studied Political Science in college, but that is neither here, nor there...

I tend to watch certain news shows, and follow some on their blogs as well. I particularly like to see how the "regular people", like you and me, weigh in on the issues. And where it comes to taxes, budget cuts, and matters of money, I remain truly perplexed by some notions I see.

Now, most people seem to fault both parties for the near-Shut-Down we almost had, and I think that makes sense. But then I see people stating things like "if the current tax cuts were allowed to expire, then 98% of America would be in an uproar..." and I think, REALLY?

The "current tax cuts" aren't enough to pay a basic cable subscription in our household. It probably amounts to the grand total we spend monthly on condiments. It's not that I don't WANT that extra $28 a month, but it sure isn't making a huge difference to me.

Now, there WAS talk earlier in the year about taxing people MORE, if they earned more than $250,000 per year. And LOTS of folks seem to think this is a BAD IDEA. I mean, I can see where if you got a raise from $230,000 a year to $260,000 a year, and found that your take-home pay was actually LESS, then yeah, you should be upset. And I do agree to a certain extent that we don't want to discourage the American Dream, that no matter who you are, if you work hard and are smart, you too can get ahead.

But really, folks? Over $250,000 a year is about four times the average salary in the US. And if that still isn't palatable, how about we tax the folks more, who make $1,000,000 a year or more? Up their taxes by 2%, and they'll have to get the Maserati detailed every two months or so instead of every month...

The thing that I believe escapes people is simply this: We can't all be millionaires. I mean, if we WERE, then the cost of living will have gone up so much that millionaires would be middle-class. That's how money WORKS -- there is unlimited demand, but NOT unlimited supply.

What if the government just printed off $457 trillion to pay off all our national debt? How would THAT work out? By the same principal, there has to be an elite class of people at the top, because that's the way it always HAS worked out... And then a striving middle-class that supports almost all of the economy, thereby making the rich richer... And a lower class, that will elicit our most charitable responses, and provide those rare success stories we all thrive on.

So if there is a limited amount of money, and we all really want to fund Social Security for the middle-class and free health care for the lower-class, where do you think this money is going to come from? Well, if there is a true free-market economy, we would let everyone fend for themselves.

With a completely free market, the poor would starve, including their innocent children, and they would likely die much earlier than the rest of the population because of a lack of health care. And also, in a totally free market, there would be no public education system, ensuring that anyone born into poverty would stay there forever, as would any of their offspring that managed to survive.

The middle-class in this scenario would, 98% of the time, sink slowly out of the middle-class and into the lower-class, so that one day this too would be their fate. The other 2% would be needed to take the "leadership" roles vacated by members of an "elite" class that didn't quite produce enough "heirs" to fill all the spot necessary to "lead".

And our elite class would, of course, buy up all the education and means of production they could, ensuring that over time, they and their families would be the only ones who had a chance at being in this "elite" class. Why, you say? Isn't that awfully cynical, you ask... Well, let me put it to you this way: Would you voluntarily pay 5%, 10%, or 25% more for you groceries? For your taxes? Out of the goodness of your heart? Even if your salary was doubled???

Or would you pay off the car, take that dream vacation, refinish the kitchen and bathrooms, and put money away for your children?

Well, so would the rich.

UNLESS we have no choice. Unless we are taxed into it, we won't give up our gains willingly.

SO, the only option left to support Social Security, Medicaid, Food Stamps, public educations and the like, would be to do so through taxes. This is the only way to be sure that skill, ambition, and hard work still have the opportunity to be rewarded... You can call it Socialism if you like, BUT if you believe you deserve as much as a chance as everyone else -- it's about the only way to level the playing field.

And who better to pay for these things most all of us want, than those who are IN ABSOLUTELY NO FEAR OF GOING HUNGRY? Those who make ten or twenty TIMES as much as the average family? The money has to come from somewhere... Why NOT levy more taxes on someone who should be "set" for life, to give a chance to five or ten or twenty other people?

And let's be honest... NONE of us is going to give up even 2% if we aren't mandated to... If you think differently, start tipping your cashier at the grocery store, the gas station, the teller at the bank, everyone with whom you exchange any money -- give them back 2% for the next WEEK, an then let me know how that felt, if you are going to keep it up. :)