Editor, Manteca Bulletin,
I address this letter to all politicians at the federal, state and local levels who advocate increased taxation as the means of our delivery from the current economic downturn. The essence of my message to you is this: We, your constituents, are not as stupid as you apparently believe we are.
For decades we have been conditioned by career politicians and a sympathetic media to believe that government is the sole source of prosperity. Since FDR this has traditionally been a Democratic theme. However, since George Bush Sr. the Republicans, too, have gradually bought into this same mentality. Now both parties understand that true power comes from keeping as many voters as possible in a state of dependency. Both parties were either active participants in, or passive observers of, the events that led us to our current economic mess. Now they pretend to be outraged and bombard us with the nonsensical notion that only enormous government spending and taxation can save us, expecting that we frightened lemmings will happily mortgage away our present and our children’s future livelihoods.
At the state level, our useless governor praises the “courage” of the legislators for passing a state budget (months overdue and still not balanced, by the way) that jacks us taxpayers with (you guessed it) higher taxes and “use fees”. The blow of a massive tax hike is supposed to be softened by the upcoming special ballot initiatives that will do nothing more than shuffle more imaginary money from one account to another and leave us no better off than before. I’m sorry, but didn’t we recall Gray Davis for a situation very similar to this?
Even our own city manager is now pushing the “you need the government” mentality by issuing dire warnings about a diminished “quality of life” if we don’t line up and (once again) vote ourselves into more taxation – this time for a utility tax.
Enough already! No country in this planet’s history has ever taxed itself into prosperity, and none ever will. Increased taxation only leads to expanded government and even more government spending. And history explicitly shows us that governments can only expand at the expense of the rights and liberties of the governed. Our Socialist-in-Chief fully understands this and is working double-overtime to bring it to pass, hand-in-hand with our beloved state legislators and, sadly, even some local leaders.
The contempt these people seem to hold us in is vividly illustrated in a recent radio spot by political satirist and so-called comedian Will Durst. After praising our state legislature for producing this disastrous excuse for a state budget, he makes a comparison to him and his wife fighting over money, saying “…hey, but in the end, the bills get paid.” Well, I don’t know what planet you live on Will, but in my world we don’t get our bills paid by going out and confiscating money from our neighbors. Unfortunately, that is a much more accurate metaphor for what our political ‘benefactors’ are doing to us.
I address this letter to all politicians at the federal, state and local levels who advocate increased taxation as the means of our delivery from the current economic downturn. The essence of my message to you is this: We, your constituents, are not as stupid as you apparently believe we are.
For decades we have been conditioned by career politicians and a sympathetic media to believe that government is the sole source of prosperity. Since FDR this has traditionally been a Democratic theme. However, since George Bush Sr. the Republicans, too, have gradually bought into this same mentality. Now both parties understand that true power comes from keeping as many voters as possible in a state of dependency. Both parties were either active participants in, or passive observers of, the events that led us to our current economic mess. Now they pretend to be outraged and bombard us with the nonsensical notion that only enormous government spending and taxation can save us, expecting that we frightened lemmings will happily mortgage away our present and our children’s future livelihoods.
At the state level, our useless governor praises the “courage” of the legislators for passing a state budget (months overdue and still not balanced, by the way) that jacks us taxpayers with (you guessed it) higher taxes and “use fees”. The blow of a massive tax hike is supposed to be softened by the upcoming special ballot initiatives that will do nothing more than shuffle more imaginary money from one account to another and leave us no better off than before. I’m sorry, but didn’t we recall Gray Davis for a situation very similar to this?
Even our own city manager is now pushing the “you need the government” mentality by issuing dire warnings about a diminished “quality of life” if we don’t line up and (once again) vote ourselves into more taxation – this time for a utility tax.
Enough already! No country in this planet’s history has ever taxed itself into prosperity, and none ever will. Increased taxation only leads to expanded government and even more government spending. And history explicitly shows us that governments can only expand at the expense of the rights and liberties of the governed. Our Socialist-in-Chief fully understands this and is working double-overtime to bring it to pass, hand-in-hand with our beloved state legislators and, sadly, even some local leaders.
The contempt these people seem to hold us in is vividly illustrated in a recent radio spot by political satirist and so-called comedian Will Durst. After praising our state legislature for producing this disastrous excuse for a state budget, he makes a comparison to him and his wife fighting over money, saying “…hey, but in the end, the bills get paid.” Well, I don’t know what planet you live on Will, but in my world we don’t get our bills paid by going out and confiscating money from our neighbors. Unfortunately, that is a much more accurate metaphor for what our political ‘benefactors’ are doing to us.
Ken Ross
Manteca
March 24, 2009
Manteca
March 24, 2009
