Of taxes

Of taxes, lies and money

June 16, 2001

by Kevin Russell Cook

There are a lot of people who think tax relief is one of the highest achievements of government. I suppose that’s because they believe that the government isn’t capable of producing much that’s any good. This logic continues: In fact, the government doesnproduce anything at all. Gimme back my money!

The government doesn’t produce wealth. Hard work produces wealth. You might be surprised to learn, this was exactly the view of Karl Marx. I’ve never bought it myself. If hard work alone made us wealthy, my father would have been Bill Gates. Most of us intimately know at least one hard worker who isn’t rich and never will be. Hard work does count. But sagacity plays one heck of a part. And dare I say, so does luck.

One terrific stroke of luck is to be born in this great country. Would you rather be paid in pesos or rubles than U.S. currency? Our money is the trade standard of the world, backed not by Fort Knox but only by the full faith and credit of the United States of America. Your money? Is your picture or signature on it? Do you run yours off on a press at home?

But, the government messes up so much, we need to keep them on a very tight allowance. Our government does make lots of mistakes, big serious sins. The FBI, the IRS, bureaucrats, arrgh!

But, even the simplest preacher of the Good Book knows, we all make mistakes. We all need to repent. Do the bureaucrats at GM, Ford or Phillip Morris make fewer mistakes than Washington’s high-powered execs, desk pushers and politicians? The government must be doing something right. After all, our monetary system and our economy is the envy of the world. To suggest that our government is not responsible for this wealth is like suggesting that athletes could make billions without the benefits of referees, lawyers and league organizations.

So, are tax cuts good or bad? My answer, when they are done as part of a plan that makes overall economic sense, they are very good. When they’re sold using the philosophy that it’s your money, and just on principle we simply need to throttle government, well, then, watch out. We’ll pay later for a cheap way to win votes, and get more cash to the already wealthy.

Has this plan been built on solid projections, or on philosophy? Right or left, most ideologies are put together not to help us think, but to keep us from thinking. In this case, the cost of the elaborate missile defense system we are planning was not figured as part of the phantom budget this cut was built upon. This is also true of any real help big government can provide for local schools. (And, who really thinks Washington can help local schools anyway?) Promises, promises, and tax cuts without budgets, too!

Whose face is on the coin? The Roman Empire was far from a proper moral government. That didn’t stop Jesus from telling us, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s."