A timely reminder from Ronald Reagan

Posted on April 12, 2010 by SophiaZoe

I will admit up front that when I first read the headline on Drudge “Oklahoma ‘tea parties’ and lawmakers envision militia…” I had a genuine OMG moment.  I rapidly read through the article waiting to find the point at which it would become clear that the headline was just an attention getting mischaracterization.  I didn’t find that point.  The headline accurately reflected the news within the article.

I finished reading and then set my laptop aside, somewhat stunned and thinking, “just coz you CAN do something, doesn’t mean you SHOULD do it.”  Well, that’s the cleaned up version of what I was thinking.

Then it struck me…

Hey, a goodly many of those Presidential Executive Orders our presidents affix their signatures to are for those “just in case” things that we all hope will NEVER happen.  But, IF they DO happen, well, it’s a GOOD thing those EOs exist, or, that’s the theory anyway.  That’s what some in Oklahoma are wanting to explore: the concept and viability of a state militia for that “just in case” moment in time should our federal government go completely over the edge.  Some would even say we stand at that threshold already.

As it happens, my Amazon delivery today brought Matthrew Spalding’s We Still Hold These Truths: Rediscovering Our Principles, Reclaiming Our Future, it’s opening quote is as follows:

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.  We didn’t pass it on to our children in the bloodstream.  It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States when men were free.”  — Ronald Reagan

… It must be fought for…

… It must be protected…

… It must be handed on…

How fitting that Ronald Reagan’s words [via Matthew Spalding] came to me only minutes before the AP news item.

Upon a bit of reflection I find a lot to admire in the concept exploration going on in Oklahoma, even if I started at OMG! I’m sure the good folk doing the “exploring” had no need to read President Reagan’s words and I’m more than a little embarrassed that I did.

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When what’s mine is yours

Posted on April 7, 2010 by SophiaZoe

April 15th – “Tax Day” is only a few days away.  The day I despise my government, irrespective of the party in power.  Don’t get me wrong, I believe there are legitimate functions of the federal government and as such I have a moral obligation to pay my taxes, and pay them I do – every year.  I just get angry because the the federal government has decided it has a right to so much of my money.

Yet, for all the money the government demands from me and the other (dwindling) net tax payers, my country finds itself over twelve trillion dollars in debt.  There is not a single reason we have twelve trillion dollars of debt, nor a single party responsible.  It’s all too easy to spend money that is not your own, trebly so if you only have to demand more to get more.

Perhaps because it is almost Tax Day this Associated Press article inspired more than a few rude thoughts to tumble around my brain…

Nearly half of US households escape fed income tax

Recession, new tax credits have nearly half of US households paying no federal income tax
Stephen Ohlemacher, Associated Press Writer, On Wednesday April 7, 2010

About 47 percent will pay no federal income taxes at all for 2009. Either their incomes were too low, or they qualified for enough credits, deductions and exemptions to eliminate their liability.

[...]a tax system that exempts almost half the country from paying for programs that benefit everyone, including national defense, public safety, infrastructure and education.

Beyond the obvious, there are a couple of things wrong with this.

I would assign the most egregious to the simple fact that if it’s not your money being spent you don’t care where or how it’s being spent as long as you get your “Fair Share“… of the government’s tit.  Said another way, if you don’t pay any net federal taxes, do you care if the federal government gives away several billions of dollars to study the impact of “climate change” on the wood frog? I made that up… I have no idea how much the federal government has awarded in grants to study the effects of climate change on the wood frog, though I have no doubt that it has awarded grants for such a “study.”  My point is that if it’s not your money you aren’t going to care.  In fact, you might even find that to be a praise worthy way to spend tax payer funds.

The next in line of egregiousness is that old adage “If it’s free it has no value.” Or, to update the concept in 21st century terms: “Free is too expensive“.  I don’t believe it’s a coincidence that so many of our own citizens view the United States as the embodiment of evil and the source of all that is wrong in the world today.  Far too many people have no “pride of ownership” when it comes to the United States.  Is the US perfect?  No.  Not by any stretch of the imagination.  But even granting that, there is not another country that I would rather live in… or emulate.  And, there is plenty to take pride in… even with all of her faults.

Lastly, beyond that “obvious” I mentioned above, is that it is just plain wrong to take something from me and give it to someone else without my express and willing consent.

[...]The bottom 40 percent, on average, make a profit from the federal income tax, meaning they get more money in tax credits than they would otherwise owe in taxes. For those people, the government sends them a payment.

Would I feel the same way if I didn’t have to pay federal taxes?  Probably not.  If I was a member of the “takers” I would probably think I deserved more… and more… and ever more from those who are forced to give.  And there resides the most egregious wrong.  When the day comes that the “takers” outnumber the “givers” this country dies.  Politicians will be in the business of buying votes instead of safeguarding the American Experiment.

Oh wait…

They already are.  They just won’t have to work as hard at it.

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Volcker and a VAT

Posted on April 6, 2010 by SophiaZoe

We’ve been informed by President Obama and his advisers that our country faces an economic struggle for a number of years to come, perhaps even a decade.  That warning was before Healthcare reform, before the US Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] imposes whatever punitive insanity it has in store for us as it regulates the “environmental hazard” that it has determined carbon dioxide to be.  And, as I was writing this paragraph I came upon the news blurb of Paul Volcker saying that a VAT [Value Added Tax] and a general rise in tax rates are possible to tame the deficit.

All of those things, individually, would hurt our already ailing economy, hurt an economy that is already on artificial life support.  Combine them and no amount of federal bailouts and “stimulus” will save us.

I am a long time supporter of the Fair Tax.  In fact, some might even say I’m down right passionate about the Fair Tax.  Frankly, I do not believe anyone is serious about repairing our economy, our long term jobs outlook, or our national debt nightmare unless they embrace the Fair Tax.

As I read the blurb about the possible VAT in our future I couldn’t help but wonder if these folk are deliberately trying to kill the country.  That’s a sort of personal milestone for me.  I’ve never before thought along those lines, and I find it very disconcerting.  So disconcerting that I’m just gonna leave this post undone and come back to the issue tomorrow evening.


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