The Sons of Liberty was a group of Boston-area merchants that became angry and frustrated with the unfair tax system imposed on them by the English. This group organized the original Boston Tea Party out of this frustration. This same anger with unfair taxes is one of the core issues that helped spawn the new tea party movement.
No one should underestimate the influence of Americans upset with an unfair and unjust tax system. In 1775, that frustration planted the seeds of a revolution. That same frustration is emerging again, and we should all listen.
In the 2009, only half of U.S. wage earners paid taxes. According to the Tax Foundation, 50 million of the nonpayers make over $50,000 per year. More shockingly, 40 percent of U.S. wage earners actually receive refunds from the IRS above and beyond their tax obligation. They literally make money through the tax system. It is no wonder that in a recent poll, half of Americans said the tax system was fair while the other half said it was not.
The implications of exempting half our citizens from federal taxes are profound. What do we naturally do when we can get something valuable for free? We want more, more, and still more. Who can get enough of the federal programs, bailouts, pork, and earmarks that Congress can come up with if someone else is paying for it?
If generations of Americans are brought up to believe that they can get something for nothing, then the core principles of American society will continue to spiral down until we find ourselves in the same situation Greece is in now.
Alexis de Tocqueville, the 19th-century French political philosopher, once said, “The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public’s money.”
There are always politicians willing to throw away all sense of fiscal responsibility to make sure there are enough “free lunches” to keep their voters loyal to them.
In the past two years, Congress has launched a multi-trillion dollar healthcare program, bought our largest automobile company, and squandered $800 billion on a so-called “incentive” bill. Politicians attempt to lure voters with promises — and false promises — thereby creating a system where spending ramps more and more out of control.
There is an even more insidious affect from this tax system meltdown. When a person pays for the federal government they understand that the federal government works for them; that it is accountable to its citizens and is dependent on the taxpayer for its existence — not the other way around.
This has been a core American value since the founding of our country. Just as de Tocqueville had once philosophized, these American values are now at risk. Half the country is beholden, to some extent, to the very government that is supposed to be accountable to them.
A side effect of the tax system collapse is that it polarizes our society into an “us” versus “them” mentality. The class warfare campaign rhetoric employed by Democrats only divides people and alienates those who work hard and pay their fair share from those who work hard and don’t pay anything at all.
There can be a legitimate debate about whether “the rich” should pay more taxes. However, what we know for sure is that half the country is now paying zero taxes – and zero share of taxes is not a fair share of taxes.
We all don’t have to pay the same share, but we should all have to pay something.
Lance Hood is a technology marketer and 16-year Redmond resident who has been involved in conservative political issues for three decades. He writes in support of common-sense conservatism, to promote liberty and freedom from government bureaucracy and interference. His e-mail is lance.hood@comcast.net.
