WHOSE MONEY IS IT ANYWAY?!

“It’s the government’s money”….that was said to me by a cousin of mine (a Democrat). We were debating the upcoming 2008 elections at the time, and, of course, taxes became a big part of the debate. It’s difficult to have a conversation with someone when they don’t understand that the money we earn does not come from the government. It is our money not the government’s, and so I dropped the subject with him. I remember wondering how we can have the same blood running through our veins yet have such polar opposite views …. after all our mother and my father were brother and sister!

You may have gathered that I don’t believe that our money is the government’s money. I’ve never thought that at any point in my life….not even when I was a kid! However there are a lot of, or should I say, there are far too many people that seem to think that our money belongs to the government and that the government should be able to set just how much of that money we may keep. I say to hell with that!

Taxes are always a touchy subject, I don’t know anyone that enjoys paying them. I know that I don’t….do you? I have heard some people say that they do not mind paying their taxes, I call those people…………liars.

Right now there is debate in Washington DC on whether or not taxes should be raised on the “rich”, whomever they may be. However, just not so long ago, President Obama and other Democrats were saying that in these tough economic times, raising taxes on anyone is a bad idea. Have things gotten better since then? Or has this bad idea somehow become a good idea? No things haven’t gotten better and it’s still a bad idea.

Millionaires and Billionaires aren’t paying their fair share they say. So I guess Zillionaires are really getting away with it! They say we can’t keep giving them money. I did not know that Uncle Sam was writing checks to those scoundrels! Wait a minute! Uncle Sam isn’t writing them checks is he?! No he’s not….what Democrats and the President want to do is take more money away from them, because, as my cousin said, “it’s the government’s money”.

Warren Buffet’s been saying that taxes should be raised on millionaires and billionaires, however I’ve heard that Mr. Buffet’s been fighting a billion dollar tax bill for years. He says that his secretary pays more in taxes than he does. Well no wonder she does, he’s been dodging a billion dollar tax bill! I’m sure she hasn’t had a zillion dollar tax bill. Come on Warren, a lot Americans were born at night … but not last night. Sounds to me like Warren’s been drinking too many tequila sunrises with Jimmy Buffet … he must be drunk talking that kind of nonsense.

Some people argue, “what’s wrong with increasing taxes on the wealthy four or five percent more?”. I say it’s one thing if you’re increasing taxes from 1% to 6%, but quite another when you increase 23 % to 27% or 28 %. Here’s what’s wrong with it….it’s their money! It is not the government’s. How would you like it if all of a sudden Uncle Sam decides that now you aren’t paying your fair share because your earn more money than other people in the neighborhood? Answer…you wouldn’t.

Let’s not kid ourselves … there aren’t enough millionaires, billionaires, or even zillionaires in the country to have an significant impact on the national debt. Nor will raising taxes address budget shortfalls either. The only way to lower the debt and fix the budget is by cutting government spending and reducing the size and scope of our federal government. I know people are saying that a lot Americans depend on government to provide them with all kinds of services, benefits, and income … but if we do nothing about how the federal government spends our money, very soon there won’t be enough money for any of those things. We’ve created dependency and now that dependency is killing our independent spirit and is stressing our finances.

Why has that happened? … because for almost a century we have let government forget just whose money it is they spend. Whose money is that? … ours, yours and mine, it doesn’t belong to anyone else. That includes money taxed away from millionaires and billionaires. They best way to increase the money flow into the federal coffers is to increase the number of taxpayers paying taxes into the system, not increasing tax rates.

The most common argument for increasing taxes on high income earners isn’t because it will increase federal revenues, because it won’t. The argument becomes: because it is fair. What’s fair about that? My argument always boils down to this: whose money is it anyway!?! Does it belong to the people that work for it, or does it belong to government?

The President has said that he believes in spreading the wealth around. I say that he should believe in spreading prosperity around … but, he hasn’t a clue on how to do it.

This nation has created a monster. We’ve created a monster of debt, of government, of dependence, and of envy. The trouble with monsters is that they always turn on their creators.

There you have it.
Pass it on if you like or let me know if I don’t have a clue.

Eddie