Taxes? Really? When President Bush was asked during his visit to New Orleans on Monday, if American's had been asked to sacrifice enough, Bush's response was, "Americans are sacrificing. We are paying a lot of taxes." Of all the sacrifices Americans have made in a post 9/11 era with Bush as our leader, taxes would be the last thing that comes to my mind. What about the thousands of American lives lost and shattered as a result of the war in Iraq? What about the loss of faith in our government and those services that we pin our hopes on in times of crisis like FEMA? What about the loss of our personal freedoms of speech, the right to fair and speedy trials, the right not to be spied on when we talk on the phone or surf the net, the basic freedoms provided to us by our forefathers and clearly spelled out in the consitution.
But in his defense, Bush isn't the only one to conjure up the demon of taxes when put on the spot. A day after the Congressional Budget Office announced that a string of deficits will follow the United States for decades into the future a smiling young couple interviewed at the Iowa State Fair was asked what they hoped to hear from the Presidential candidates who had descended on Iowa to test the political cornfields. The young, blond, well-scrubbed wife said without missing a beat, "lower taxes" while her equally clueless smiling husband looked on and added something so inane I can't remember it.
I find their revelation stunning for two reasons. First, I can't image that this young couple living in Iowa would, at this point in their life, be making so much money that taxes are really their biggest issue. Not that young people in Iowa are incapable of earning the vast amounts of money that would generate real concerns about taxes, but the odds are that isn't the case. Second, with all the issues swirling around the upcoming presidential race like the war in Iraq, illegal wiretapping, health care, the astronomical deficit, alternative fuel, the war on terror, and on and on and on, that taxes was the first thing that came to mind for this couple rocked me back on my heels. Where have these people been? Is Iowa lost in some 1990s time warp and if so, why are so many potential presidents spending their time there?
Taxes? Really? This is the most important issue on the minds of young Iowans? In fairness, here they were, walking around their state fair, minding their own business when some reporter shows up and asked them what was on their minds. This could have been just the first thing that popped into her head or it could be a symptom of an American mindset that threatens to take us further into debt and more off track as a nation than we already are. The mindset - the me first, me at all cost mindset - is built on a syllogistic trap that looks like this: Taxes are evil. American have to pay taxes. Therefore, Americans paying taxes is evil. Looks okay on the surface but let's examine the conclusion.
All taxes are evil. What about those taxes that go to pay for clean water and clean air? What about the taxes that support our military? What about the taxes that insure we have a fair and accessible legal system? What about the taxes that insure we have safe roads, bridges, dams, and other infrastructure? What about the taxes that support health care for the poor or the infirmed or children? What about the taxes that insure we have safe food and drugs? What about the taxes that are being used to fight the war on terror or drugs?
Here is a case in point. I live in Phoenix, the 5th largest metropolitan area in the United States. The greater Phoenix area is divided into a patchwork of small cities, some more thriving than others. The property values in two of these cities, Chandler and Gilbert, have exploded in the last few years, while the property values in Mesa, an adjoining city have either remained stagnant or in some areas, dropped slightly. What would cause one area to thrive and another to stagnate? In a word, taxes. The two cities that have experienced tremendous growth have invested heavily in services like police, fire departments, new and improved schools, parks, water, sewer, trash removal, and other hugely successful public programs. Yes, we pay for the services, but we also enjoy the benefits of the services, every day we live here.
Our neighbors to the north recently voted down property taxes yet again. As a result, they have had to close parks and cut back services. I frequently have to drive through this area and it amazes me what a difference a few streets makes. Just across the city limit into Mesa, are run down properties, streets that are pitted and potholed, and an overwhelming sense of decay and neglect. While there are pockets of nice neighborhoods struggling to maintain themselves, the majority of this city is on the decline, in a metropolitan area that sees 16,000 new people moving in each month.
Without taxes - cities, states, and countries cannot thrive - much less survive. The problem isn't taxes, it is those we have entrusted to spend our money wisely. Poor and middle Americans have too long fallen prey to the myth that all taxes and government are evil. Governments are necessary and taxes are the way that we fund our government. The evil-doers are the politicians that continue to sell Americans on the idea that we can have a strong military, government, and infastructure without taxes.
If you don't believe me, I encourage you to read the Congressional Budget Office report yourself and then, use your vote wisely. Or you could do as the young couple in Iowa and continue to live in a 1990s, pre-9/11, pre Iraq war, pre-trickle down economics act II fantasy and in denial of astronomical deficits, endless budget cuts to necessary programs, and a tax system that favors the top 1 percent of Americans and leaves everyone else, including the happy couple from Iowa in the dust.