In Defense of Taxing and Spending
One of the most ridiculous accusations I have heard Republicans make of Democrats is that we are "tax-and-spend liberals." Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't all governments have to spend money? And don't they have to have revenue, i.e. taxes, in order to spend that money? If that is an admonition not to spend money, I think that the events of last week have demonstrated the fact that taxes and spending are good things and that there is a definite role for these in our government policy.
There are those who argue that the government should have a very limited role and do practically nothing. However, last week, there was a bridge that collapsed in Minneapolis, which was caused by neglect of our infrastructure. When President Bush was there, he gave a speech where he talked about the failure of government. In other words, "I am such a screw up that I would just waste the money anway." There was no talk about doing anything to help build our roads and bridges. This to me shows everything wrong with the complaints of tax and spend. These are people who would rather not pay for government than have a government that actually works. Then, when they take power, they do everything in their power to destroy people's confidence in the govenrment in an effort to insure that the people won't trust the government to do the things it needs to do, thus leading to more calls for tax cuts because after all, the government can't do what it's supposed to do, which will lead to less government confidence, which leads to less taxes, until, in the immortal words of Grover Norquist, they get to drown the government in a bathtub.
If you think this is hyperbole, listen to the rhetoric of Congressman and Presidential Candidate Ron Paul (R-TX). In an interview, he said that FEMA should be abolished, and that the government should have found another way to abolish slavery besides the Civil War. If someone wants to refight the causes of the Civil War as "big government," then you know that person should be questioned about what the government should do. However, the government does a lot of things well. The reason the Republicans got burned on Social Security in 2005, is because people believe in the system, and they know that it works, even if not perfectly. Despite all of the claims of "socialized medicine" every time someone complains about universal health insurance, Medicare works, and most people don't want rid of it. Maybe Republicans just don't have the guts to admit that they want to get rid of it.
Let's take the question at hand: roads and bridges. Does anyone honestly believe that the govenrment isn't the only entity that could do that? Roads provide a lot of revenue for other people, so why should a company shoulder all of the risk for free? If someone says that the road builders should just charge a toll, how would that be different from highway taxes? This is why there are some things that have to be done by the government and that some of things actually cost money. So, the next time you hear someone complain about taxing and spending, start asking them what they think the government should do, and how to pay for it. Because, believe it or not, taxing and spending are good things that can provide for the common good in America.
Update: President Bush recently said that he would not consider raising the gasoline tax by five cents in order to pay for the reconstruction and repair of our nation's bridges. It is times like this where one can truly appreciate the Twenty-second Amendment.--Albert
There are those who argue that the government should have a very limited role and do practically nothing. However, last week, there was a bridge that collapsed in Minneapolis, which was caused by neglect of our infrastructure. When President Bush was there, he gave a speech where he talked about the failure of government. In other words, "I am such a screw up that I would just waste the money anway." There was no talk about doing anything to help build our roads and bridges. This to me shows everything wrong with the complaints of tax and spend. These are people who would rather not pay for government than have a government that actually works. Then, when they take power, they do everything in their power to destroy people's confidence in the govenrment in an effort to insure that the people won't trust the government to do the things it needs to do, thus leading to more calls for tax cuts because after all, the government can't do what it's supposed to do, which will lead to less government confidence, which leads to less taxes, until, in the immortal words of Grover Norquist, they get to drown the government in a bathtub.
If you think this is hyperbole, listen to the rhetoric of Congressman and Presidential Candidate Ron Paul (R-TX). In an interview, he said that FEMA should be abolished, and that the government should have found another way to abolish slavery besides the Civil War. If someone wants to refight the causes of the Civil War as "big government," then you know that person should be questioned about what the government should do. However, the government does a lot of things well. The reason the Republicans got burned on Social Security in 2005, is because people believe in the system, and they know that it works, even if not perfectly. Despite all of the claims of "socialized medicine" every time someone complains about universal health insurance, Medicare works, and most people don't want rid of it. Maybe Republicans just don't have the guts to admit that they want to get rid of it.
Let's take the question at hand: roads and bridges. Does anyone honestly believe that the govenrment isn't the only entity that could do that? Roads provide a lot of revenue for other people, so why should a company shoulder all of the risk for free? If someone says that the road builders should just charge a toll, how would that be different from highway taxes? This is why there are some things that have to be done by the government and that some of things actually cost money. So, the next time you hear someone complain about taxing and spending, start asking them what they think the government should do, and how to pay for it. Because, believe it or not, taxing and spending are good things that can provide for the common good in America.
Update: President Bush recently said that he would not consider raising the gasoline tax by five cents in order to pay for the reconstruction and repair of our nation's bridges. It is times like this where one can truly appreciate the Twenty-second Amendment.--Albert
Labels: Politics
posted by Albert McStephenson at 8:07 PM
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