Fair Share
Deborah Venable
01/21/12
Wow! Deliver me from another debate on
taxes! Please! Whether it is cuts or increases, fair or
unfair, middle class or wealthy – none of it matters because the general public
has no idea which side of the aisle is really fighting for them. Truthfully, neither side is!
Taxes
are a political tool used by politicians to weave an imaginary safety net for
“the poor,” keep the “middle class” off balance, and regulate the thoughts and
actions of “the rich” in such a way that the “political class” (yup there is
such a thing) can maintain their maximum power and influence. The whole thing is unconscionable and
immoral.
Take
the debate about the so-called payroll tax cut extension – what an utter
nonsensical joke! Both sides –
republican and democrat – are refusing to be truthful with the American
public! I’ll take it a step further to
say that they can get away with it because most folks refuse to think the whole
thing through and come up with the truth anyway. Folks, this is FICA they debated. Democrats have told us for years that FICA is not a tax except
when they are trying to convince us that EVERYBODY (wage earners anyway) pays
income tax. FICA deductions are
actually forced deductions from wage earners’ salaries that were supposed to be
locked away for their golden years, but have long ago ceased to be that.
The
idea of a payroll tax holiday or payroll tax cuts is stupid in and of itself,
if all that were actually true, because when those golden years roll around,
which one do you plan taking “a holiday” from without your Social Security or
reduction in same? Hmmmmm? Personally in my half century (thus far) of
working for a living, I didn’t get one of those holidays or cuts! The years I was self-employed, I actually
had to cough up more because I didn’t have an employer being soaked for some of
it. Since I WAS an employer for some of
that time, I was soaked double because I was paying FICA for each and every
employee too!
I
know that to some of you I am singing to the choir, but to most of the general
public, they haven’t a clue of what the heck I am even talking about. They are hooked on the political mantra of
“the rich” not paying their “fair share” to the point that nothing else
matters! Well, to them, let me just say
that they are absolutely right!! The
rich do NOT pay their fair share! They
pay far, far more than that, and the dirty little secret is that ALL the
politicians, no matter their stripes, know it full well.
Let’s
stop right here and define a few things.
First, “the rich” – they are the folks who have enough wealth to pay for
anything they need and at least some of what they want without having to go
into debt for it. Next, the “middle
class” – they are the folks who maintain at least a semi-comfortable lifestyle
as long as their credit rating will support any debt they choose to incur. Lastly, “the poor” – they are the folks who
seldom give any thought to anything BUT financial wealth and how much they
DON’T have.
Sound
harsh? Sorry, but that is the
truth. I know plenty of poor folks who
are rich beyond their wildest dreams, and rich folks that are poor in every way
that really matters. Middle class folks
can go either way and may never realize it.
Speaking strictly financially, though, no one is ever stuck where they
are unless they choose to be. That will
change if the “transformation” of America is allowed to continue.
As
we watch this election year unfold, let’s remember one very important
fact. American government is as broke
(because it has no money of its own) as it is broken (because it has no
morality.) Government doesn’t have the
money it tosses around, and the corruption within every office of government
has made it morally bankrupt. Some
parts more than others – sure – but the whole thing, as an organ of the
American people, needs a good scrubbing.
There
can be no doubt that the Constitution and the rights it is supposed to protect
have been infringed seven ways for Sunday.
Every single politician currently serving in government and/or hoping to
be “sworn in” after the next election has and will renege on his or her oath
and lies to the American people on a constant basis – again, some more than
others. I used to make political
contributions, but there is no way I would ever do so again. None of them deserve political
contributions. My political
contribution is my vote, and most of the time that requires holding my nose
while I do it. If that sounds too
cynical, too bad! Political fundraisers
are an abomination, and the fact that no one can be elected without them is an
atrocity.
The
wealth that is squandered in this country every single election cycle is
staggering! Think about that and let it
really soak in. In order to even throw
your hat in the ring nowadays you’d better have plenty of money and/or backers
or you really do not stand a chance of getting a campaign off the ground. I’m not just talking about presidential
elections. You have to be able to
literally stuff yourself down the throats of the American people and put your
face in front of them and your voice in their ears at every possible
opportunity or you don’t have a chance of being elected to any office. That costs a lot of money.
All
this would not be necessary if we, the people, were as responsible as we are
supposed to be, but, alas – we are not responsible enough to even find out
who’s running – much less read up on their background and stated
positions. (I say “we” here, but there
are some of us who certainly do not fit that mold – we are just few and far
between.) So, the candidates have no
other choice but to raise and spend gobs of money to make the irresponsible
American voters aware of their existence.
The
fair share of wealth in this country that is squandered and traded first for
votes, then for favors, is an abomination to a freedom based, free thinking
society. Politicians get themselves
branded just as surely as prized bulls and heifers on a cattle ranch, then
proceed to glut themselves at the trough of public money, and they get used to
doing whatever it takes to stay there in one capacity or another for far too
long. Fair share indeed!
One
other item on this little tirade – if the politicians’ jobs are valuable enough
to deserve the money and benefits they get paid, how is it that we can do
without them at their jobs throughout most of the course of a campaign for the
same or different office? Does anyone
in the media ever ask that question?
No.
At
this time, the republican field has been winnowed to the point that my first
and second choices for president are already gone. The big, bad states of Iowa and New Hampshire have had their say,
along with the media pundits, and that is what we have. It is shaping up exactly like 2008 did. I am a well-informed voter that takes the
responsibility very seriously, but before I can even get to the polls, I will
have to take along a clothespin for my nose!
Money has already spoken in a much louder voice than my individual vote
ever could. Every day the remaining
primary contenders continue to tear each other up until I have no faith that
the one left standing will be in any way representative of my conservative
point of view! Truthfully, he will
either be the richest or the one that the party elites deem the “appropriate”
candidate.
If
all this sounds too cynical, suck it up – that’s life! That is what we have allowed the system to
become. I can only hope that THIS
candidate will not insist that his supporters go easy on Barack Obama – you
know, like the last one did! For if
conservatives know nothing else about politics, they should believe this down
to the depths of their souls: America
cannot withstand another Obama term and maintain any semblance to her heritage
and founding. This candidate better be
up for the fight of and for America’s very life!