There's a lot of hoopla going around now that Bush / the GOP is going to push for the abolishment of the IRS probably by a flat tax system or consumption tax. I am 100%, if not 110% for fair taxation in the form of a National Sales Tax. I don't care if the IRS stays put or not, I just want the bastards to keep their noses out of my personal finances as it's none of their business.
Now, I am by far no economic genius. My checkbook is a mystery to me! So I've tried to learn what I can about a better taxation system, both good and bad. Q and O had a post on this topic where it was pointed out that Atrios (off all people) had some criticisms that people for the NST should be kept in mind. So I (*shudder*) ventured over to read his post. The comments reminded me why I don't visit there unless at gunpoint.
There was one comment I really wanted to discuss here plus, a lot of other posts that bitch about the rich and how they should shoulder the entire weight of everything and that poor people should be given a free ride.
GOP 2004: We Hate Poor PeopleCrude, but essentially what this policy boils down to.Pinto | Email | Homepage | 08.01.04 - 11:01 pm | #
Lunacy, pure and simple.
I am not financially rich. I make enough money so that my wife can stay home with my child, so yes, I make a nice chunk of change. But you know what? 10 years ago I had to move back in with my parents because I was so f'in broke I couldn't afford much more than a single pack of Ramen noodles a day. I've had to work hard to get where I am now. The start was lucky, but from that point on I had to bust my ass to teach myself every little thing I know and constantly keep on my toes to ensure I provide my employer the best bang for the buck.
I don't hate the poor. I have no desire to make life harder for anyone trying to better themselves. I do wish to make it harder for someone who has no desire to better themselves and simply exist off other people's taxes. I want being unproductive to be more difficult than being productive.
The money I make should be mine, not someone else's. Money is a measure of the amount of effort I place into the society. Notice the wording there, it is a measure, not the measure. Taking my money to give to someone else against my will is theft. Taking food out of my fridge or clothes from my daughter's closet and giving them to someone else is the same thing.
I donate a lot of items to charity so that those who have less than me can have clothing and various household items that make life more comfortable. I donate money when I know the organization won't waste 90% of it on bureaucratic horse shit. I firmly believe that in a country as wealthy as America that no person should go without adequate food and health care and that the worst way to achieve that involves the government.
So, sorry Pinto, you're incorrect when you think that Republicans hate the poor. Most of us simply want to provide them a way to not be poor any more by allowing them the opportunity to better their lives. That opportunity requires people to take full responsibility of their own lives. If someone decides to not take that chance, then there's nothing they can do except rely on the charity of others. What's wrong with that?