September
2007
Better Living? A Sense of Community? Blame Taxes
We’re heading into the political season and that means those who blame taxes for every evil known to mankind will want their opinions heard.
But do they have a point or are they just the kind of people who are inherently unhappy, miserable cretins?
Let’s give that some thought.
Sure, they call themselves fiscal conservatives but let’s look at what type of people they support. They’ll support Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner, the same guy who opposed the Amber Alert program. They’ll say they support George W. Bush and our troops (as though Bush’s decisions to put our men and women in uniform on the slaughterfield is somehow patriotic). Some will say that abortion is a key issue because the Bible tells them to oppose it but they’ll continue to question global warming despite the fact that the Bible says “Then the LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to Cultivate it and Guard it”.
Those same “fiscal conservatives” will say nothing about monetary policy and how it affects everyday Americans. There will be no handwringing about the new rules governing shorting stocks on the downtick. There will be no focus on bailing out homeowners who got caught up in the subprime loan debacle. There will be no talk about penalizing companies who rob their stockholders while enjoying multi-million dollar compensation packages.
No, they’ll talk about one very focused issue where they will place all the blame for everything — taxes.
But responsibility in taxation? Forget it. These “fiscal conservatives” will walk away from the table of responsibility and some will even sign a pledge promising no tax increases–which amounts to a whiny little temper tantrum.
What’s worse, some of them will be elected officials. What kind of lousy parents did they have who allowed them to think that everything has to be their way all the time? What kind of arrogance do they have to have to believe they’re right every single time? What if the world was ruled by these sorts of children?
This is not to say that all taxes are good or bad. Some are good. Some are bad. But the fact is that they’re necessary in our lives. Those same taxes pave our roads, build our sidewalks and sewers, and allow us to have a social safety net for those who fall upon hard times.
I have to share that I do enjoy a good life. I have a great job and a loving family. I have a comfortable, albeit modest home and enough of a yard so I don’t have to devote much more than a half hour to cutting grass on the weekend. I could make more money but I make enough to meet my needs and lead a happy life.
Parks, museums, the zoo and other amenities enhance my quality of life. And yes, those things are supported by my taxes — make that OUR taxes.
Growing up on Milwaukee’s south side, I used to think that Brown Deer was for rich people. Well I live in Brown Deer now. I joke with my friends that I live in a little 978- square-foot shack, but the reality is that much nicer than a shack and, more importantly, it belongs to me and my family.
I don’t mean to ramble on about myself, but rather to make a point that people like me, who might not live in the perfect place but aren’t by any means living in poverty, should pay taxes and we should not whine about them. Some of the biggest whiners are taking a vacation a year and aren’t concerned at all with the less fortunate. Somehow, they fail to have a conscience to direct them to fairness in life and treating others as though they wish they were treated. Yes, if these folks were CEO’s, they would insist on making as much money as they could, even if those who worked under them had to get food stamps and rely on government healthcare.
They are the biggest complainers and anyone who doesn’t agree with them will be tarred with the name “tax and spenders” and as they spit out those words, a little venom will mix with their breath.
They’re selfish and they’re pariahs. Whether they maintain that selfishness by living in a modest home and complaining about taxes, or while living in palatial estates complaining about taxes, they’re still parasites upon the social fabric of our community.
To return to the issue of taxes, just look at what’s happening in Madison. The State Assembly, led by the majority Republicans, has failed to compromise with the State Senate which is led by Democrats. Together they have failed to come up with a budget in no small part because the Republicans have signed no compromise pledges which they call no tax pledges. Essentially they’ve signed a pledge that they’ll fail in their requirements to pass a budget. They have failed to meet the deadline for passing the budget and they’ve failed their constituents.
So should people be offended that the Assembly Republicans have chosen to pout and take their toys and go home rather than act as adults to work out their differences? Of course. Responsible adults don’t do what the Assembly Republicans have done.
Responsible adults work together to find compromise and seek common ground.
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Jim McGuigan
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Jim, if you don’t mind paying more in taxes, then feel free to write the government a check each year above and beyond your federal, state, and property taxes. This should make you feel much better as a human being.
You know us here this a lot. “If you don’t mind paying more just send a check…” The reality is that there are people like my folks who after working their entire lives cannot enjoy retirement because they have to work in order to cover there health insurance premiums. On top of that they cannot afford to use the insurance because the deductibles are too high! mkelover, the point is that individually we cannot change a thing but collectively we can move mountains. I simply do not get it when people refuse to acknowledge that living in a society requires sacrifices (yes even monetary ones). This notion that if I don’t use it or if it doesn’t affect me then I should not have to pay for it has almost run its course. Humanity can take this selfishness for only so long…
Why is it my fault (and others) that you did not sufficiently save for retirement? I’m sorry that you cannot afford your health insurance premiums but I don’t think its governments’ responsibility to bail you out for lack of planning. Where is the incentive to save and be fiscally smart as an adult when you know that the gov’t will simply bail you out later in life?
Jim: So the real argument you offer here is that those who are against 18 billion dollars in tax hikes are the greedy, selfish, pariahs. That is some of the weakest stuff you’ve ever thrown out here. The first five paragraphs–what happened there? Crazy stuff.
Anyway, at the risk of soundind like a parasite, I’d like to point out that the sheer scope of Doyle tax increases is sickening. Some estimates put the cost at over five hundred dollars per household, per month. Poor Ven’s grandma won’t even be able to afford cat-food on that; neither will my own elderly aunt. As a parasite I’d also like to point out how much of it falls on the poor more that anyone else–the gas tax, smoking, the list goes on.
Sorry, hit the wrong button–mid rant.
Why should it be the republican duty to compromise? If the Dems are so sure about the merits of a public health plan, why don’t they remove it from the budget and offer a refferendum? That’s representation.
Finally, I’d rather keep my money. ITs my money. I earned it. Why doesn’t the government learn to pay its bills like I have to pay mine!
and as far as mortgage bailouts go. That is the most sickening idea ever. Who signs a note they can’t pay? Don’t even bother with some sob story.
Those sub-prime loans packages were meant to be bandaids-like ARMS-not longterm solutions and those people that took them should have understood the meaning of sub-prime. While I agree that the NovaStars (et all) should be penalized for not fully disclosing how these products worked; I don’t agree that those people should be bailed out either. They knew they were living above their means. Nobody twisted their arms to take those loans Jim, why should taxes cover bailout? A considerable amount of them live a better quality of life than most and continue being irresponsible. Most will file bankruptcy anyhow …
I think people that lost their homes in Katrina (still NOT rebuilt – STILL waiting for funds.) deserve to be addressed before the sub-prime consumers. The majority of the help they’ve received has been directly from loving neighbors, communities and strangers.
I think it’s counter-productive to be name-calling and categorizing people assuming that they are aware of your point-of-view as well. We all come from different backgrounds and as we are completely oblivious to others lifestyles and value systems, as they are completely oblivious to our as well. That they haven’t walked in your shoes does not alone make them evil, unkind or “inherently unhappy, miserable cretins”.
You just wrote something to the note of working together Jim, and you wrote this, what gives?
“a whiny little temper tantrum” is right. the Assembly is hurting our state by taking a hard-line stance on their No Tax Increase position.
that’s what I call Budget Balderdash:
http://www.wauwatosanow.com/blog/?blogid=414
Why I am considered selfish when I want to keep a majority of what I earn? Why is that so bad? Why am I evil that way?
You’re considered SELFish because you want to KEEP it for yourSELF. I don’t see what’s hard to understand…
You recognize that other people exist, right? And that there is a limited amount of stuff in the world? And that there are constantly more and more people all clamoring for “their” share of the stuff?
Could the core of this be a taxation without representation issue? Taxpayers have no real say in how any particular township/state/gov is applies funds or manages affairs; and, people tend to manage fiscal affairs very, very different. Just looking at the few most obvious: you’ve got your proactive management style that address issues before they balloon into HUGE expensive issues and then the reactive management style where problems are addressed only when everything is at a stand-still and in complete disrepair. People will always differ this way.
Depending on who (or what type) is in charge, there will be a bunch of people who do not want to pay the taxes. During times when people don’t feel represented, they’d rather safely apply the money to their own backyard and write the check on their own?
Also, please consider known government corruption and siphoning of funds at every level as a valid reason …
mkelover,
Who in the world could have predicted 20 and 30 years ago that we should have been saving for thousands and thousands of dollars worth of possible medical deductibles and premiums. When my folks worked, they had coverage and even into retirement they were covered. To sit there and say that they should have saved more is a slap in the face to anyone who has been promised a retirement only to have it removed from under them in the name of profits for shareholders. You might argue that neither you nor any company has any obligation to its workers. Then when in the hell are we all supposed to save all of this money when people are living paycheck to paycheck just to make ends meet? Not all of the folks out here are making the kinds of dollars that allow for 10 to 20% of their pre or post tax dollars to go into a fund or a stock or HAS. This reality is right outside your window should you care to look as you drive through town. My guess is though that you would rather stare straight ahead…that way you can continue to fool yourself into thinking that everything is a-ok with the world
Hermes:
Read that piece of rubbish by Kroll. What a load of bunk. I work at a high-school, and we are able to plan because we know that we have the same number of dollars as last year. As far as some brain drain in Madison–please. Those guys raise tuition well in excess of the rate of inflation. Don’t tell me we might lose a professor–what a tragedy.
As far as being selfish goes, you describe it as if it was some sort of character flaw when people look at their financial situation and realize that they want to keep more of their money to take care of the needs of their own families. Further, like all leftys you somehow think you’re superior because you identify a need but then declare that everyone should pay for it–that somehow those of us who don’t have a lot to spare must attend to “more people all clamoring for “their†share of the stuff.” You also assume that we should share the portion of our meoney we wish to share in the way you (and your lefty buddies) think we should. That’s mind-blowing arrogance on your part. If you want to provide services to the poor, start a 501(c)(3), I’ll address my charitable responsibilities the way I see fit. Go peddle your false morality somewhere else.
And as far as the Republicans go, I pray they stand firm. The democrat budget will have a crushing effect on my finances, but since you democrats are the wealthy it won’t hurt you as much.
Hermes– messenger of the gods. You sure do think highly of yourself.
Lori:
You’re right about the representation issue here. I imagine deomcrats and republicans could find common ground on many budget lines, but the notion of birthing a tens-of-billions new government debacle is something that should be done separately, and slowly. Let us vote on it. We the people.
Should we also bail out those same people who didn’t save money for high energy costs? I mean if we’re bailing them out because of the high cost of medical insurance premiums then why not every aspect of life that is a necessity?
The solution to society’s problems is NOT more government intervention nor is it higher taxes.
I live paycheck to paycheck but I also save 10% of my pre-tax income in a 401k and stocks. Should I get some sort of bailout because I live paycheck to paycheck? Hell no. It’s not the government’s fault that I live paycheck to paycheck, it’s MY fault. Not yours or your neighbors.
I am not banking on the fact that I’ll have a pension or that I’ll have any social security when I retire. I am watching out for my needs and the needs of my family. I’m sorry, it’s quite tough to, additionally, take on the needs of everyone else who is not as responsible as I am.
Christopher Thomas:
So, taking inflation into account, your school has less money then last year and you’re happy about that? You must be a horrible teacher to want your students to get less and less funding. I pray that you don’t teach economics or public policy or social studies. You must think very little of yourself as an educator to be so pleased with a Republican plan to underfund high-schools, and you must think very little of higher education to so brashly laugh at the prospect of UW-Madison professors getting downsized. I happen to be proud of living in the same state as as UW-Madison, which is one of the best universities in the country for sociology, and I wish it would receive enough funding to INCREASE its number of professorships.
You know I’m all for personal responsibility. However, I find it more than a little disingenuous to say: workers should be use cover all inflationary spending with their pittance in the form of raises. When they argue that the money is not enough their employers tell them if the health package wasn’t so costly you would have gotten more. We are all asked to do more with less. Unless mkelover, you are the savings and loan industry or the sub-prime loan industry or … Because these “industries†seem to be able to be “helped out†whenever the need arises. Why is that we can find money and the will to help out corporations when we can’t seem to do so for the average worker? Oh yeah that was what HSA’s are for right? That is the help we are to get. WOW! Thanks everyone, another tax free account I can use to put ALL the extra money in I seem to have.
Sorry for the start on that last post. I was trying to say that workers should be FORCED to to cover all inflationary spending…
Trying to get too much out at once can really hurt!
Hermes:
First of all, anyone who reads this site knows I think very-highly of myself as an educator. Ask Lori.
At my school we know how to work with a budget. Yes, costs for some things have gone up, but the most essential element of a successful classroom is a well trained and enthusiastic teachers supported by parents who care. Textbooks are a help too. The difference between you and I is that I’d want to know what the money would be used for and decide if the cost was worth the spending before calling for more taxes. The people of my district are not well-off, like your rich lazy professors. And they are lazy too. I know plenty of them and never has one of them complained of being over-worked. And yes, many are hard working and great assets to the university, but lets not kid ourselves here. The fact in their case is the that the board of regents simply increases tuition anyway.
Because of time, I’ve mostly stayed out of the comment debate going on here. But I’ll address a few comments now.
mkelover: Taxes are necessary for government to work. Unfortunately you don’t see any value in them. Without them we would be living in a system of tribalism and even then you would need to pay tribute to the Chieftain.
Christopher Thomas: I always find it interesting that when Republicans are attacking Democrats they scare people by pointing out the entire amount of a tax, or own unsubstantiated inflated numbers for a tax rather than what the real impact will be on a per household basis. You’ve not disappointed me by sticking to the GOP rhetoric stereotype. I also find it interesting that you’re talking about a referendum being real representation(it’s not) yet you’re silent on why Scott Walker has opposed the sales tax referendum.
Lori Lowling-Kwiat: You commented that we shouldn’t be bailing out people who cannot pay their subprime loans. I actually agree with you but if the choice is to have the government bail out the lenders or the borrowers, I choose neither. If I’m forced to choose one, I’ll have to choose the borrowers. The lenders know better.
I apologize I can’t respond to all of the comments but I balance the blog with having a life. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t moderate the comments on a regular basis.