THE TYRANNY OF TAXES

 **This blog entry was written previously and is being reposted here.  I will post all of my previous articles here as a method to consolidate all articles in one location**

Have you ever asked yourself how much the government really takes from you on a monthly basis? And I am not just talking about the federal government but the state, county, and municipal governments.  None of us really think about all the taxes and fees that come out of our pockets.

Think about it.  You pay taxes on your income every paycheck; if those were the only taxes you paid life would be great.  But that is only the beginning, unless you live in Florida or Texas, you also have to pay state income taxes.  You go home with your check lightened by federal and state income taxes, Medicare, and social security taxes.  So you are driving home and realize that you need gas for you car; you stop at the gas station and fill up. You pay anywhere from 30-60 cents for each gallon of gas (that is between $4.50-$9.00 on a 15 gallon tank and $7.50-$15.00 on a 25 gallon tank.)  You get home and sit at the kitchen table with a calculator and the bills that have arrive by mail. You start writing checks; you pay your electricity bill plus taxes; natural gas bill plus taxes; water bill plus taxes and fees for sewer service; cable or satellite service plus taxes; internet services plus taxes; phone bill plus taxes and 911 fees; cellular phone service plus taxes plus taxes and surcharges.  You pay your mortgage and pay taxes through the escrow account.  With the money you have left you go out to eat and pay taxes on that. Buy a fountain drink at the convenience store and pay taxes on that. Buy a six-pack of beer or a bottle of wine and pay taxes on that.  Buy clothes for you and your kids and pay taxes on that.  You buy tickets to a baseball game and pay taxes on that.  Go to the movies and pay taxes on that.  You pay taxes on all the consumables you need for your home from toilet paper to soap to toothpaste.  Any service that you need, from an oil change to a haircut, is taxed.  You can’t even take a vacation from it because your airline ticket, hotel and rental car are taxed.  Not a day goes by that you aren’t taxed in one way or another.  Obviously some places are worse than others.

It is a wonder we have any money left at all. We as a people need to demand a stop to all this taxation, demand relief from those whom we have empowered to represent us.  We are essentially suffering the same fate as the colonists prior to the revolution, with a twist: Taxation with misrepresentation. But it is our fault.  We have subjected ourselves to this tyranny. And we must take responsibility as a nation and as an electorate, to get ourselves out.  The Tyranny of Taxes is slowly taking away our liberty. We are evermore becoming indentured servants to the leviathan we call the Federal Government.  Worse yet, we are enslaving our children and grandchildren to a life of making the minimum payment on a multi-trillion dollar credit card just to keep ahead of the interest.

We work everyday in an effort to achieve the American Dream and instead of government that encourages our efforts we have one that impedes them.  Instead of creating an environment that is conducive to innovation the government has done everything it can to stifle it.  Rather than lower taxes to stimulate growth and expansion of the economy, our government raises taxes and discourages investment and entrepreneurialism.

Look around and ask yourself, is my money well spent?  Is it invested well?  Should I be forced to help pay for someone else’s house or brand new car?  Should I have been forced to by General Motors, Chrysler, or AIG?  Could I have used that money more efficiently?

Put it in perspective, since 2008, the federal government has spent:

  30 billion to bailout Bear Stearns

400 billion to bailout Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

180 billion to bailout AIG

  25 billion to bailout GM and Chrysler

700 billion to bailout banks through the TARP program

787 billion in the “stimulus package”

    5 billion in earmarks included in the Omnibus bill

According to the US Census Bureau there were 281,421,906 people in the United States in the year 2000.
For easy math let’s say that there are currently, 300,000,000 legal citizens and residents today.  That would mean that if you added up all the spending, just for the programs and bailouts listed above, the government could have sent out a $7090 check to every man woman and child who is legally in the United States.  For a family of four, that would mean $28,360.

HOW WOULD YOU SPEND $28,360!!

Ask yourself who knows better how to look after your family; you or a collection of 500 individuals in Washington D.C. who have never seen you, never talked to you, and seem unwilling to consider your future and the future of your children and grandchildren.  And don’t seem to understand that what they are doing not only affects us the people but our nation.  They are jeopardizing the future of the United States of America.

PUBLIC SECTOR UNIONS SHOULD BE DECERTIFIED

As I begin to write this, let me start by saying that I don’t have a problem with unions, per se.  I do think that most unions have long outlived their usefulness and that whether they want to admit it or not, unions as a group are getting smaller in the private sector, partly because potential union members don’t want to pay dues to support causes they don’t agree with.  But, unions have exploded in the public sector and unions are ecstatic about this development, partly because it is easier to negotiate with government entities since government doesn’t have to concern itself with profit motives during negotiations. This has some interesting effects on the political landscape as reflected in campaign contributions and lobbying efforts.  But if workers want to unionize in the private sector (manufacturing and trades) I don’t have an issue with it.

My problem is public unions, defined as those unions that are comprised of, and represent government employees either at the Federal, State, Local or Municipal level.  Why do I oppose public unions? You ask.  I will tell you, because I am paying for the union with my Tax dollars.   

Let me give you an example.  According to the website UnionFacts .com The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States, representing most of the country's teachers along with other school personnel. The NEA has 2.7 million members and has an annual operating budget of around $150 million.  Additionally, the NEA has assets worth $186,244,257 and political funds of $3,645,395. According to OpenSecrets.com, in 2008 teachers unions (not just the NEA) contributed over $5 million to Democrat candidates and just over $261,000 to Republicans; a ratio of 95% to Democrats and 5% to Republicans.  In 2010 teachers unions contributed $4.78 million to Democrats and $134,220 to Republicans, a ratio of 97% to 3%.

Why does this matter.  Well, the sad fact of the matter is that all teachers and administrators in the public school system who belong to unions are employed by local governments.  The government pays their salaries through taxes, your taxes.  So the taxpayer is subsidizing the union agenda and by extension Democrat Party policy.  You are a Democrat contributor whether or not you would like to be.  You money is being used against you, particularly if you are a Republican.  This is true for all public sector unions. 

Here is a quick breakdown for some other public sector unions for the 2010 election cycle:

American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees:  $2,194,450 to Democrats, $10,000 to Republicans. 

American Federation of Teachers:  $2,273,800 to Democrats, $8,000 to Republicans.

National Education Association: $1,800,200 to Democrats, $81,200 to Republicans.

 National Association of Letter Carriers: $1,620,000 to Democrats, $54,000 to Republicans.

American Postal Workers Union:  $1,311,500 to Democrats, $14,000 to Republicans.

International Association of Firefighters:  $1,631,750 to Democrats, $318,000 to Republicans

Totals :  $10,831,700 to Democrats, $485,200 to Republicans,

                                                                                                                   

That is 10 million of your tax dollars. For those that agree with the unions’ agendas that is not a problem.  For the rest of us, this is a serious issue.  Why should my tax dollars be laundered into union coffers to support policies I am dead set against? 

Some of the resolutions and policies that NEA advocates or supports: same sex marriage, repeal of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act; “…early childhood education programs in the public schools for children from birth through age eight”; “…believes that home schooling programs based on parental choice cannot provide the student with a comprehensive education experience.”; International Court of Justice. The Association urges participation by the United States in deliberations before the court; The Association opposes any federal legislation or mandate that would require school districts to schedule a moment of silence.  Is this the kind of policy that you would support?  Then why are you forced to pay taxes knowing that a percentage of that money will be funneled to unions which advocate these positions?

In a speech to NEA members, General Counsel Bob Chanin asks, “why are these conservative and right-wing bastards picking on NEA and its affiliates?” And, proceeds to answer the question himself by saying, “… and they (NEA and its affiliates) are the nation’s leading advocates for public education and the type of liberal, social and economic agenda that these groups find unacceptable.”

This all done with your taxpayer money, all this is subsidized by the American Taxpayer. 

Let me be clear.  I don’t have a problem with workers in the private sector unionizing.  It is their right. But I do believe that those individuals who are in the public/government sector, at any level, should be prohibited from unionizing.  This is not unprecedented. The military is prohibited from unionization and rightly so.  

But the obvious fact is this: ALL THE DUES CONTRIBUTED BY GOVERNMENT WORKERS TO UNIONS IS TAXPAYER MONEY!!  You, the taxpayer, are subsidizing all these unions whether you want to or not; whether you agree with the union or not. 

The American Taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize unions.   All public sector unions should be decertified.  If public workers think they are getting a bad deal, they should find a job in the private sector and unionize there.  That is the open secret that public unions don’t want you to know.