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Bush Bite #12 - 25 Sep 2004
The point of taxation
The move is afoot nationwide to cut taxes and implement "user fees" in their stead. It seems to make sense: if you use something (like a library or a swimming pool) you should have to pay for it.
The problem is that there are quite a few people who can't afford to pay for it. I'm referring to the poorest 12 percent of the population that lives in poverty, as defined by the IRS. There are some that would like to dismiss the poor as lazy and unmotivated, but political-economic studies show that other factors, such as race, gender, education, economic opportunity, and, most importantly, socioeconomic background are really the keys in determining your earning power.
Historically, this nation has endeavored to improve the circumstances of everyone who lives here. While America has never been a socialist country, we have, in the past, had compassion for the poor and believed that certain services should always be accessible to all Americans: public education, retirement, public libraries, and emergency services, for example.
To continue this compassionate model, the wealthy do need to give just a few more dollars in taxes.
Franklin Roosevelt said, "The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much, it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little."
Our progress is being sorely tested. Bush's goal as an administrator is to convert once widely-accessible institutions into pay-as-you-go, privately-owned privileges. Under attack are public education, Social Security, public utilities, welfare, Medicare, and emergency services.
We'll talk more about Bush's tax cuts, but for now, keep in mind that the movement to convert taxes into user fees is brought to you by the privileged who think their thick slice of cake doesn't have quite enough icing on it yet.
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