Conservative Corner: The Tax Man Cometh

It’s that magical time of the year when the postman is busy delivering the flood of W2 income tax paperwork and not just junk mail. The time of the year when visions of temporary wealth flood your mind, or fear of owing Uncle Sam worries the soul. Some may be happy with the idea of helping to financially support the local, state and federal governments, while others have the idea that taxes are a sorry excuse of a reason for helping to fund a seemingly tyrannical government. No matter how you feel about taxes, there are two things for certain you can count on; death and taxes.

It has been said that some conservative groups, like the grass roots group Tea Party Movement, wishes to eliminate all taxes, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Conservatives understand it takes the tax dollar to fund very necessary needs that the government performs. Without taxes we would not have police services, firefighters, teachers and other important services. Unfortunately, our taxes dollars are being wasted like a sailor on shore leave. Conservatives are baffled by the politicians need to spend our money in a very foolish fashion. Every presidential administration spends money, some, of course, spend more than others. The current administration seems to have a huge problem with spending money that they don’t have.

Under the Obama Administration government has grown by leaps and bounds. With programs like the abuse of the Food Stamp Program, the failed stimulus plan and “Cash for Clunkers” programs, the bail out of General Motors and Chrysler, Obamacare and more, the cost for Obamacare alone will cost the taxpayer $50 billion a year according to thedailycaller.com.

For those who seem to think government spending under George W. Bush was more, the national dept went up $4.9 trillion in both Bush’s terms according to cbsnews.com; however, with Obama just starting his second term, we saw the dept go over $16.3 trillion at the end of 2012. It is forecasted to hit $17.5 trillion this year, and up to $25.9 trillion by 2022 if spending continues.

Democrats seem convinced that more taxes is a clear answer to the problem of solving the national dept. If the employment numbers were higher it might be a decent idea, however, for the last four years the unemployment rate has been over 7.5 percent. It’s even higher in Oregon. With many Americans being un or under employed for the last 4+ years, increasing or creating new taxes is a great was to stifle an already troubled economy.

Many people claim that the tax dollars of the rich can carry the burden of curing an ailing economy, but they already pay more than the rest of us. According to csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0415/Taxes-and-the-rich-How-much-do-they-pay-now, the top 1 percent of the country actually pays about 20.3 percent tax, while the middle class pay 10.3 percent and the lower class pay about 3 percent. The problem, however, isn’t more and new taxes, it’s spending.

President Ronald Reagan once said “We don't have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven't taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much.”

If the Federal Government could control is obscene spending habits, there may be a way to pay off some of the dept and ease the tax burden on all Americans and not the ones that the government chooses. We need to pressure our lawmakers to limit spending and the decrease the size of our government. If you are interested in helping curve the immense size of our government, spending and taxes, please go to oregonteaparty.org to help out the conservative cause in Oregon, or teaparty.org to help out on a higher level.

It is our job as Americans and patriots to keep government small to ensure our freedoms won’t disappear. For, as Reagan said, “Man is not free unless government is limited.”