If you’re a conservative who hates taxes, please do the following.
- Do not use Medicare.
- Do not use Social Security
- Do not become a member of the US military, who are paid with tax dollars.
- Do not ask the National Guard to help you after a disaster.
- Do not call 911 when you get hurt.
- Do not call the police to stop intruders in your home.
- Do not summon the fire department to save your burning home.
- Do not drive on any paved road, highway, and interstate or drive on any bridge.
- Do not use public restrooms.
- Do not send your kids to public schools.
- Do not put your trash out for city garbage collectors.
- Do not live in areas with clean air.
- Do not drink clean water.
- Do not visit National Parks.
- Do not visit public museums, zoos, and monuments.
- Do not eat or use FDA inspected food and medicines.
- Do not bring your kids to public playgrounds.
- Do not walk or run on sidewalks.
- Do not use public recreational facilities such as basketball and tennis courts.
- Do not seek shelter facilities or food in soup kitchens when you are homeless and hungry.
- Do not apply for educational or job training assistance when you lose your job.
- Do not apply for food stamps when you can’t feed your children.
- Do not use the judiciary system for any reason.
- Do not ask for an attorney when you are arrested and do not ask for one to be assigned to you by the court.
- Do not apply for any Pell Grants.
- Do not use cures that were discovered by labs using federal dollars.
- Do not fly on federally regulated airplanes.
- Do not use any product that can trace its development back to NASA.
- Do not watch the weather provided by the National Weather Service.
- Do not listen to severe weather warnings from the National Weather Service.
- Do not listen to tsunami, hurricane, or earthquake alert systems.
- Do not apply for federal housing.
- Do not use the internet, which was developed by the military.
- Do not swim in clean rivers.
- Do not allow your child to eat school lunches or breakfasts.
- Do not ask for FEMA assistance when everything you own gets wiped out by disaster.
- Do not ask the military to defend your life and home in the event of a foreign invasion.
- Do not use your cell phone or home telephone.
- Do not buy firearms that wouldn’t have been developed without the support of the US Government and military. That includes most of them.
- Do not eat USDA inspected produce and meat.
- Do not apply for government grants to start your own business.
- Do not apply to win a government contract.
- Do not buy any vehicle that has been inspected by government safety agencies.
- Do not buy any product that is protected from poisons, toxins, etc…by the Consumer Protection Agency.
- Do not save your money in a bank that is FDIC insured.
- Do not use Veterans benefits or military health care.
- Do not use the G.I. Bill to go to college.
- Do not apply for unemployment benefits.
- Do not use any electricity from companies regulated by the Department of Energy.
- Do not live in homes that are built to code.
- Do not run for public office. Politicians are paid with taxpayer dollars.
- Do not ask for help from the FBI, S.W.A.T, the bomb squad, Homeland Security, State troopers, etc…
- Do not apply for any government job whatsoever as all state and federal employees are paid with tax dollars.
- Do not use public libraries.
- Do not use the US Postal Service.
- Do not visit the National Archives.
- Do not visit Presidential Libraries.
- Do not use airports that are secured by the federal government.
- Do not apply for loans from any bank that is FDIC insured.
- Do not ask the government to help you clean up after a tornado.
- Do not ask the Department of Agriculture to provide a subsidy to help you run your farm.
- Do not take walks in National Forests.
- Do not ask for taxpayer dollars for your oil company.
- Do not ask the federal government to bail your company out during recessions.
- Do not seek medical care from places that use federal dollars.
- Do not use Medicaid.
- Do not use WIC.
- Do not use electricity generated by Hoover Dam.
- Do not use electricity or any service provided by the Tennessee Valley Authority.
- Do not ask the Army Corps of Engineers to rebuild levees when they break.
- Do not let the Coast Guard save you from drowning when your boat capsizes at sea.
- Do not ask the government to help evacuate you when all hell breaks loose in the country you are in.
- Do not visit historic landmarks.
- Do not visit fisheries.
- Do not expect to see animals that are federally protected because of the Endangered Species List.
- Do not expect plows to clear roads of snow and ice so your kids can go to school and so you can get to work.
- Do not hunt or camp on federal land.
- Do not work anywhere that has a safe workplace because of government regulations.
- Do not use public transportation.
- Do not drink water from public water fountains.
- Do not whine when someone copies your work and sells it as their own. Government enforces copyright laws.
- Do not expect to own your home, car, or boat. Government organizes and keeps all titles.
- Do not expect convicted felons to remain off the streets.
- Do not eat in restaurants that are regulated by food quality and safety standards.
- Do not seek help from the US Embassy if you need assistance in a foreign nation.
- Do not apply for a passport to travel outside of the United States.
- Do not apply for a patent when you invent something.
- Do not adopt a child through your local, state, or federal governments. 89.Do not use elevators that have been inspected by federal or state safety regulators.
- Do not use any resource that was discovered by the USGS.
- Do not ask for energy assistance from the government.
- Do not move to any other developed nation, because the taxes are much higher.
- Do not go to a beach that is kept clean by the state.
- Do not use money printed by the US Treasury.
- Do not complain when millions more illegal immigrants cross the border because there are no more border patrol agents.
- Do not attend a state university.
- Do not see any doctor that is licensed through the state.
- Do not use any water from municipal water systems.
- Do not complain when diseases and viruses, that were once fought around the globe by the US government and CDC, reach your house.
- Do not work for any company that is required to pay its workers a livable wage, provide them sick days, vacation days, and benefits.
- Do not expect to be able to vote on election days. Government provides voting booths, election day officials, and voting machines which are paid for with taxes.
- Do not ride trains. The railroad was built with government financial assistance.
The fact is, we pay for the lifestyle we expect. Without taxes, our lifestyles would be totally different and much harder. America would be a third world country. The less we pay, the less we get in return. Americans pay less taxes today since 1958 and is ranked 32nd out of 34 of the top tax paying countries. Chile and Mexico are 33rd and 34th. The Republicans are lying when they say that we pay the highest taxes in the world and are only attacking taxes to reward corporations and the wealthy and to weaken our infrastructure and way of life. So next time you object to paying taxes or fight to abolish taxes for corporations and the wealthy, keep this quote in mind…
“I like to pay taxes. With them, I buy civilization.” ~Oliver Wendell Holmes
Brilliant. Will share in hopes that others will do likewise - and that certain mindsets might begin connecting the dots. Wishful thinking, I know.
ReplyDelete“I like to pay taxes. With them, I buy civilization.” ~Oliver Wendell Holmes
ReplyDelete"I'm proud to be paying taxes in the United States. The only thing is -- I could be just as proud for half the money." ~Arthur Godfrey
The problem with both of the quotes that we've cited is that they're totally absent of historical context.
ReplyDeleteWhen Oliver Wendell Holmes ruled that "[t]axes are what we pay for civilized society" in Compañia General De Tabacos De Filipinas vs. Collector of Internal Revenue, 275 U.S. 87, 100 (1927), the top marginal tax rate was 25%.
In the 1950's, when Arthur Godfrey most likely uttered his quote, it was 91%.
Justice Holmes died on March 6, 1935 - 161 days before the Social Security Act was signed into law. That same year, in the midst of the Great Depression, the entire U.S. national debt was only $28.7 billion. It would be interesting to see how he would have viewed our pressent day entitlement society and deficit spending to pay for it.
Interestingly, in his will, Holmes left his residuary estate to the United States government. How many present-day progressives are willing to change their wills and follow his example? How many of their heirs would let them?
Finally, the the fallacy of the whole argument posed by this blog post is that paying taxes is an either/or proposition. The premise is that because someone thinks that taxes should be lower, that same person must also think that there should be absolutely no taxes whatsoever. No one but the most radical anarchist believes that.
Following that logic, are you suggesting that everyone should be taxed at 100%, allowing an all benevolent government to determine who should get what amount of the common wealth?
How "civilized" would that society be?
Come on, CT. You have once again taken an argument to the extreme in order to make it sound illogical. Nobody is asking for 100% taxes, and taxes are nowhere near the 91% mark during the time of Arthur Godfrey. The average tax on millionaires is currently less than 23%, which is less than during Holmes' time. I would just like to see the giant corporations actually pay some taxes, and for the Bush tax cuts to be eliminated for those making over $250,000. Would that really be so terrible?
ReplyDeleteNobody is asking for 100% taxes...
ReplyDeleteNor is anyone asking for 0% taxes, as the post implies. I was merely illustrating the absurdity of the argument by countering with an equally absurd argument.
Should "millionaires and billionaires" pay more in taxes? Yes. Should corporations like General Electric be paying zero U.S. taxes, while its CEO hob nobs with the President? Of course not. Is there waste in the Defense Department budget that should be eliminated? Absolutely.
But everyone should have at least some skin in the game. How can have 48.5 million people on food stamps at the same time that nearly half of all Americans pay no income taxes whatsoever? Shouldn't everyone have to chip in at least something, even if it's a nominal amount?
Conversely, how can we expect Baby Boomers to continue to receive the same levels of Social Security and Medicare benefits as previous generations while the per captia burden on their kids is so much greater than it was for them?
If we eliminate the Bush tax cuts, it should be for everyone - you and me, as well as Bill Gates and the small business owner.
Everybody is going to have to tighten their belts. I was speaking to a couple of fellow vets this weekend, and they tried to convince me that I should try to get my VA disability re-evaulated so I could get a higher percentage. My response startled them: How can I expect a welfare mother to tighten her belt when I myself am drawing more from Uncle Sam (even if I'm legally entitled to it)?
If everyone considers how they can lessen their own burden on the budget rather than increasing it, we might just make it through this crisis.
The resason this will never happen is twofold: Everybody wants their own piece of the government pie (so-called "free money"); and the politicians are all too willing to give it to them to buy their votes, even if it means hocking the country into bankruptcy.
I would agree that everyone should pay some taxes if you'll agree that all workers should get a livable wage - which would mean raising the minimum wage substantially.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest problem I have with "raising the minimum wage substantially" is what it can do to the number of entry-level jobs. Many small businesses (the source of a large number of such jobs) are often operating on razor-thin profit margins - especially in this economic climate.
ReplyDeleteIn Texas,the difference between paying a single mom right out of high school the current minimum wage of $7.25/hour and paying her the "living wage" of $14.95/hour amounts to a little over $16,000 a year.
If the small businessman can't absorb the difference and still turn a profit, is he going to take a chance on the untested employee, or is he going to squeeze more productivity out of his experienced workers?
The end result is that the single mom doesn't get hired, can't develop a good work history which would make her more competitive for a better paying job, and ends up dependent on government assistance for the foreseeable future.
When you look at unemployment rates among young workers since the last increase in the minimum wage, you see that this is a very real scenario that would only get worse if the "living wage" became the bottom rung of the employment ladder.
I don't necessarily agree with that, but if you're going to force that single mom to work for minimum wage then don't complain when she doesn't make enough to pay income taxes.
ReplyDelete...then don't complain when she doesn't make enough to pay income taxes.
ReplyDeleteShe can't pay 1% of her income? How about one half of 1%?
It may seem counterintuitive or even inefficient to pay someone WIC or other government benefits while at the same time requiring a nominal income tax, but the reason for making everyone pay is simple: to impress upon each and every citizen that there's no such thing as "free money."
The same should hold true for corporations; all corporate loopholes should be closed. Doing so would end up collecting more revenue for a lower corporate rate, because the big freeloaders like GE would be forced to pay.
The Fair Tax would collect even more revenue by taxing consumption instead of income, thereby finally levying a tax on the underground economy, like drug dealers and pimps. It's been estimated that so much more would be collected that we could afford to pay a "pre-bate" to the working poor.
A Consumption Tax? You do believe in regressive tax systems, don't you? That would put the biggest burden on the poor and working classes, who would pay a huge portion of their income in taxes while the rich would pay a very tiny portion of their income in taxes. I can't believe you think that would be fair. Those who make the most should pay the most - both in real dollars and as a percentage of income.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever read about the Fair Tax and its "pre-bate" provision?
ReplyDelete33 is mostly incorrect. The original idea and prototype definately was not a military development, nor was it created in the USA.
ReplyDeleteloved reading this, well done; but the USPS is not funded by taxes and employees are not paid by taxes. everything is funded by stamps and postage.
ReplyDeleteBecause I do not like the current system which is riddled with warfare and violence does not mean I have been given alternatives to monopolized resources. I have been forced to pay into a system I find insufficient, does this mean I should not use the current services that exist?
ReplyDeleteMost Americans do not have a problem with paying taxes for legit reasons, many of which you (re-)listed here. We know what taxes SHOULD be used for. But a lot of what's happening today is just government-sponsored plunder of Americans' wealth, and that pisses me off. The federal government robs producers to feed societal leetches - the least of which is able-bodied, lazy people on welfare and illegal aliens.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest "leetches" (as you call them) are the corporations who suck up most of the money, but pay little or no taxes.
ReplyDeleteCorporations have pay roles with the poor-mid class workers. And by "Little or no taxes" you mean small percentages. Which are still much higher than anyone i know. Not to mention if corporations aren't paying taxes, that is a flaw of the government, not the corporation.
DeleteThe Post Office doesn't rely on taxes, but just like Social Security, they steal from them to cover other costs.
ReplyDeleteWhy don't you make a list of those tax-funded programs that Michelle Bachmann and her husband sucks from the government teat. Her salary has always been paid by the government, from the time she pursued tax evaders to her current position as teabagger in chief. Her husband sucks of Medicare and they use government funded financing programs.
Social Security doesn't steal from taxes. Assuming you aren't unemployed, look at your pay stub and notice that you pay into Social Security. It's a tax which funds Social Security. And that tax has been used to fund other parts of the government when Social Security earned more than required to pay benefits. Treasury wrote Social Security an IOU in the form of T-Bills.
ReplyDeleteYou're really just an Amish person proselytizing, aren't you?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,
ReplyDeleteWho's an Amish proselytizer: Ted, Leslie, singleweird, Punk Johnny Cash, Scott, or me?
I havent met a conservative yet who says "Abolish All Taxes". If anything the current drum beat is cut spending.
ReplyDeleteLove #18. Soon they will be practicing how to levitate. Lol
ReplyDeleteIf you define the word 'TAXES', to be meaning 'INCOME TAXES', of which I shall talk about.
ReplyDeleteLook at the Grace Commission:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grace_Commission
"The report said that one-third of all income taxes is consumed by waste and inefficiency in the federal government, and another one-third escapes collection owing to the underground economy. “With two thirds of everyone’s personal income taxes wasted or not collected, 100 percent of what is collected is absorbed solely by interest on the federal debt and by federal government contributions to transfer payments. In other words, all individual income tax revenues are gone before one nickel is spent on the services [that] taxpayers expect from their government."
Not my words, but provided to you by President Ronald Reagan.
The truth hurts and is usually just sitting there right and ready to be discovered.
Also, any 'TAX' that I am forced to pay with an invisible gun placed against my temple, is and cannot be justified.
More to the point, how many people are you willing to sanction your 'Public Servants' to murder, in your name to given you libraries, parks, roads, etc.
Yes, 'WE THE PEOPLE' created the government and therefore, anything done by them, falls at our feet. We are the captain of the USS Government, thus we are fully responsible for all of their deeds - good and bad.
Jason
We are the captain of the USS Government, thus we are fully responsible for all of their deeds - good and bad. [Emphasis added]
ReplyDeleteHelp me out here, Jason - I'm a little confused. Your screen name is jaycanadian and on your Blogger profile, you say you're from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, yet you use the pronoun "we" as if you're a citizen of the United States.
Are you a native of Canada? A U.S. expatriot temporarily living in Canada? A native of the United States who's denounced his citizenship and become a Canadian? Perhaps you hold dual citizenship.
In the words of Tonto: What you mean "we," Kemosabe?
Do not use public restrooms.
ReplyDeleteThis is not paid by tax payers, most of these are covered by private companies.
Do not put your trash out for city garbage collectors.
We get billed for this, it is not paid by taxes
Do not use the judiciary system for any reason.
They charge you filing fees. So this one is a bit iffy
Do not fly on federally regulated airplanes.
I find this one a bit fishy too, I am not too sure what federally regulated means, but I am pretty sure these regulations (if they exist) are not what is keeping the planes in the air.
Do not use the internet, which was developed by the military.
This one is ridiculous. They have profited off of this and still do. So by paying the fees associated with domain names I am paying back the government for this.
Do not ask for FEMA assistance when everything you own gets wiped out by disaster.
Because they did great last time we asked for help.
Do not use your cell phone or home telephone.
Home telephones are private companies, also I am pretty sure private companies paid to lay the wires. Cell phone towers are definitely privately funded, and suggesting they are only around because of the FCC is crazy, more accurately they are around despite the FCC
Do not use any electricity from companies regulated by the Department of Energy.
What does the regulation do for us exactly?
Do not apply for loans from any bank that is FDIC insured.
this one is listed twice.
Do not use electricity generated by Hoover Dam.
If I am paying for the electricity, why do I need to pay taxes as well exactly?
Do not whine when someone copies your work and sells it as their own. Government enforces copyright laws.
No they don't. Besides the only ones who seem to be profiting from copywrite laws are the big companies.
Do not expect to own your home, car, or boat. Government organizes and keeps all titles.
hmm, so I only own it because the government has a record of it? Come on now.
Do not use Social Security
How old do you think your readers are? Will SS even be around when I retire (I am 30 now)?
Do not live in areas with clean air.
Like LA?
Do not ask for an attorney when you are arrested and do not ask for one to be assigned to you by the court.
Ok asking for one to be assigned to me is obvious, but this suggests I cannot hire one.
Do not buy firearms that wouldn’t have been developed without the support of the US Government and military. That includes most of them.
I am skeptical about this one, you are saying the US military developed most of the firearms being used today. That is nonsense.
Ok, I'm a conservative, and honestly, I don't hate taxes!! I think we should have a percentage income tax for everybody, because it is a percentage, the money will be taken based solely on the amount of money you earn. I don't like Social Security and Medicare because they are about to go bankrupt, in the beginning they would have been fine but the government wasted the money on other things and now they won't be able to pay me what I payed them... The military is very necessary, as are the other things mentioned in this list... this is not a valid argument, and I hope the Americans who read this don't fall for it!
ReplyDeleteI agree, the 50% of US citizens that pay no tax should not use any of these services.
ReplyDeleteYou might have a point if there really was 50% who paid no taxes, but that is simply not true. Even those who make so little they don't owe income taxes do pay a variety of other taxes. In fact, they pay a larger percentage of their income in taxes than people who make far more money (and do pay income taxes). Conservatives like you would like for people to think these low-paid workers are getting a free ride, but that is just a lie -- and you know it.
ReplyDelete