Sometimes "Representation" isn't all that great either...

Four score and about three hundred years ago, our forefathers were fed up. Tired of paying outrageous taxes to the motherland...and for what? Nothing. A big sack full of it. So they decided that "taxation without representation" wasn't for them. Thus the Revolutionary War was started, and finished, and blah blah blah, here we are today. Now, the straw that broke the camels back for the early American Colonials was the Tea tax...if they only lived to see the 21st century, they'd call us all Benedict Arnolds. Look at what we, men and women of the land of the free, are paying in taxes every day. Let me spout off a few: Sales tax, Gasoline tax, Death tax, Marriage tax (isn't marriage taxing enough?), Excise tax, Corporate taxes, Property taxes, and let us not forget our old friend Income tax (Federal, State, and Local in some cases). That's a lot of tax, a regular boatload of taxation. Imagine if someone went back in time and told old Bennie Franklin that we were paying taxes to die. He'd spout off something wise, then waste us with a roundhouse to the face. We all know that we're paying taxes for something, and don't get me wrong, I like having roads, police, schools, military, a reliable infrastructure, and on occasion, government employees...but enough is enough. In this "ownership society" that we live in, we don't even have complete control over our paychecks. Before I see one red cent, good old Uncle Sam has taken me to the cleaners. I'm single, male, and employed full time, so I take the brunt of the reaming (you can thank me later for your childrens education). Sure, I could be dishonest and claim five dependents, I'm sure I could find five, but then I risk paying even more tax, in a lump sum at some point, or spending five to ten in a federal pen. Choices, choices. Now, I realize that taxes make the world go 'round, and I am by no means suggesting that we stop paying them, then raise up and create a system where all government employees are paid via the barter system, what I am suggesting is a change in the way that we pay those taxes. Lets take old Joe Blow. He's earning minimum wage, living in government housing, on medicare/medicaid, welfare, and he's still scraping up enough scratch to hit up the picture show on Friday night with his lady friend (yes, I said picture show...and lady friend). Now, other than inflation causing his check to mean less and less "bang for the buck" so to speak, he's paying wild taxes on his income. Before he has the check in hand he's lost a chunk of it to taxes. Then he goes and gasses up his T-Bird and pays 35 cents a gallon worth of tax on his gasoline (think about that when you're spending 50 bucks at the pump), then he steps inside and pays an exorbitant amount of tax on his smokes, by the time he walks away he's easily dropped 1/4th of his check on taxes in some form. Think that sounds way overblown? Don't like that number? I have that much taken out of every check before I have it in hand. So, what's the solution? Smaller government is a start, but the realistic fix would be to change what is taxed, and when. I give you the Flat tax. Now, I don't know what you've heard about it before, but forget it, unless it's what I'm going to say, then remember it and reinforce it. Check this out. Take our old buddy Joe Blow. Payday rolls around and here's his check. Not a dime taken out (except for what he's decided to put in his private Social Security account, of course) and he's off. He decides how much tax he's going to pay, because he decides what to buy. Think of the Flat tax like a sales tax. You buy a magazine, you're paying taxes. Ten-penny nails, taxed. Jewlery, cars, houses, toilet paper, kitty cats, medicated shoes, and egyptian cotton linens, all taxed. Before you say "You chop, we're going to be paying even more taxes than before!" Consider this; if we use this system, you only pay the amount of tax that you can afford. No percentage, only what your income will allow. Gentle, monetarily challenged Joe won't pay much in taxes because he can't afford a new Escalade. Wealthy venture capitalist Milton Pennybagger will pay his share because he naturally spends more money than Joe. Someone working off the grid, never paid income tax because he works for straight cash money, will now lose his loophole and be forced to pay taxes (but only if he wants to LIVE...sorry, little carried away). Everyone will pay their fair share. No bucking the system, no donating junk cars to charity for a deduction, heck, no deductions at all, just good old Flat tax paying for the things we love. How could anyone be opposed to this? They couldn't, plain and simple, if they do...they're a communist, and don't think we don't know who you are, because we do (double negative used to confuse the socialists, and infuriate my old english teacher, who coincidently, may be a communist). So there it is America, your salvation from taxes. Now, go and call your tax fattened government representative and drop the word on him. Until next time...stay clean.