21st Century Slavery
Wednesday, June 08, 2011
How often do we hear from lay economists in the state that the rich are not paying enough in taxes? Make over 250,000 per year and the government has a right to more of your money than someone who makes less. Why? Because you have more money and because the government NEEDS your money. Take Representative Scott Guthrie who recently stated, “We often hear talk about the structural deficit in Rhode Island, but what these proposals do is address the structural injustice in our recent budgets." The “structural injustice” he’s talking about is the flat tax everyone, whether you make one dollar or one billion, now pays in Rhode Island.
When has the same ever been ‘injustice’? Parents, if you give one child five dollars for allowance and then give your other child five dollars for allowance, are you being unjust? Friends, if there are three of you going out to dinner and you decide to split the bill equally, is that criminally unfair?
Of course not, but certain politicians and advocates are pushing hard to tell us that equality isn’t fair. Well let’s the flip the script just so you can see how unfair policies that seek to take more from the rich truly are.
The poor should pay more
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThose who use governmental programs the most should pay more. If you are collecting food stamps, have your healthcare subsidized, have child care subsidized, or utilize additional governmental programs above and beyond what are shared services for all (e.g. police, fire, schools) then you should pay more. The thinking is if you’re using more than someone else you should pay more than someone else.
But Don, folks on these programs need assistance because they are unable to pay for these goods and/or services on their own. I understand but why not take 5% of what the government gives them to pay for those services. For example, if the monthly allotment of food stamps for a family of four is $500, the government keeps $25 that they are not keeping today. That 5% would then be put back into the system to pay for future food stamp payments.
Every governmental program would be ‘taxed’ an additional 5% so that the poor would pay their fair share of what they use in an additional services. Sounds fair, right? Why should middle class and upper class citizens have to pay more to subsidize the poor and the poor receive the same or more benefits? How does that help them move from poor to at least middle class? It doesn’t.
Reality is the poor can’t afford an increase
Unfortunately people on government programs can’t pay more but I hope you see my point here. If you’re the user of a particular good or service, the onus of paying for that service should be yours. . It should not be someone else’s responsibility to carry your burden. Rep. Guthrie and others would disagree.
Still, the fact remains that it would be very difficult for the poor to take on additional expenditures due to their current inability to pay for what they currently need. Several years, a college educated friend of mine had lost her job and was on unemployment and RIteCare through the state. She told me she lived more comfortably while on these programs than when she eventually found a position about eight months after losing her job. We all know the stories of people subsisting on welfare, but in my opinion, government intervention is part of the problem not the solution.
Here me out, the poor can’t afford to pay for certain goods and services. Rather than have people starve, be out on the street, or without healthcare the government has responded by picking up the slack. Yet, how does government serve the middle class here? Is our health care subsidized? Do we child care vouchers? No!
21st century slaves
So government intervention not only takes wealth from middle and upper income citizens it keeps people who are lower income in a state of, and I use this word intentionally, slavery.
Slaves to the government to feed and clothe them. Slaves to the advocates who fight to keep governmental programs alive. And slaves to the rich whose products they buy with their governmental assistance.
So when you see rallies for food stamps, tax increases for the rich in order to pay for entitlement programs, and the like what you’re seeing are slaves rallying to remain in slavery. Think about it…why aren’t they fighting for better opportunities, better schools, or higher paying jobs? No they’re fighting for subsidies and a bigger share of the middle and upper class wallet.
If you’re a lower income person and reading this, governmental subsidies are a trap—a trap to keep you from realizing your full potential. And people fighting on your behalf, although well intentioned, are only helping to further enslave you to the government.
The answer: Cut taxes and create jobs
Some of you are rolling your eyes at the above section, but this is what we all need. Cutting taxes does two things. One, it makes it impossible for us to afford the programs that keep people enslaved. Something will have to give and if lower income people can no longer afford to stay on governmental subsidized programs, they will have to find an alternative source for sustenance. Two, if we are able to keep more of our own money, we will be able to pay and spend it as we choose. Increased spending generally leads to job creation, and Rhode Island needs and injection of jobs within its economy.
Too many politicians, advocates, and Rhode Islanders fight to tax the wealthy in order to redistribute their wealth to the poor. This continues a cycle of slavery that demeans lower income residents and unfairly burdens middle and upper class residents. We three demographics would be wise to join together and fight for collective equality – as in I keep what I make – and not a system that enslaves any of my fellow residents.
If you valued this article, please LIKE GoLocalProv.com on Facebook by clicking HERE.
Related Articles
- Double Standard for Doherty, Providence City Council
- Unions Need to Join with Republicans
- Charter School Battle in Cranston