"The people who pay taxes will foot the bill. Get the picture? This was NEVER the way our system was suppose to work. Never intended by the Founders. Our progressive tax structure has all but killed the American Golden Goose."
A few years ago, after I left the work force and before I started drawing retirement, I got wind of a fishing opportunity. This was up at a lodge up just over the Canadian border, and they were offering a sweet deal. If your income was low enough (like mine, was since I was making close to zero at that time), you could fish for free, so long as you were with a group who paid full price. Plus, not only free, but the lodge gave me some money to buy a Canadian license, bait, and lures. Sounded like a winner to me!
I found five other guys to go up with me. They needed to take some time off of work, and the price to stay at the lodge was steep, as it was still seasonal. We were going to be up there for five days. Lots of fish could be caught in that time frame!
Anyhow, after the fourth day, the lodge owner came to our cabin. "I have a deal for you guys. If you want to stay for two more days, I will knock 10% off the rate for those days." Then he looked at me and said, "Your rate sir, continues to be free. If your team takes this offer, I will have some additional money for you to buy bait and accessories with."
After the owner left our cabin, I looked at my buddies and said, "What do you think guys? I think that is a heck of a deal!" One of my buddies looked at me and said, "Of course you would. You have no skin in this game. None. The rest of us would need to figure out to pay for this extra expense. We do have family budgets, you know. Mortgage, food, gas for the cars. Even with a 10% discount, it is going to be tight."
I looked up in disbelief. "Come on guys! I have seen your houses. I know how you live. This little extra won't hurt you! That extra two days will benefit us all. Look at it like it is for the common good."
Okay. By now, most have figured out this story was totally allegorical. Never happened. But this happens all the time in real life. Not with fishing - with paying taxes. If I wanted to make this story more accurate, I would have had 45% of the fishing group fish for free - and the other 55% pay the freight. That is the way it is in real life, with our taxes.
When someone in real life who does not pay taxes, and hears the promises from the current Blue Team Santa Clause, that person listens with keen interest. Why? Whatever is promised, is going to be free to that person. The people who pay taxes will foot the bill. Get the picture? This was NEVER the way our system was suppose to work. Never intended by the Founders. Our progressive tax structure has all but killed the American Golden Goose.
Remember that fact his election year. Consider this - why are the inner cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul so deep, deep blue? Free stuff. Very few of the people who live down there have any skin in the game. Pay no taxes. Whereas the Red Team always promises opportunity, the Blue Team always promises stuff. It is really, really, hard to beat the Blue Team when they have that much of an advantage. But - it is possible.
To beat Santa Clause this November, we need to get every possible Red Team member to the polls. NO EXCEPTIONS. Plus, we also need to convince the Blue Dogs they are being gamed by the system (again). Peel off some of those votes. We can win this one. If we get enough people fired up, out to the polls or early voting, we can not only win, we can almost run the table.
Free stuff or not, this can be our day. Our day to seize. Or - it can be a bloodbath with a Blue Wave to follow. The choice is ours. Myself - I choose to Carpe Diem!
The 7 county metro area pays 64% of the states taxes yet gets only 52% of the benefits. I have a hard time figuring out Mpls/SP burden.
ReplyDeleteBut onto my usual comments about urban/rural folk..........
A message from the highly educated and highly taxed urbanites to our rural deplorables...and why we vote progressive...
Education tends to increase one's exposure to different viewpoints and kinds of people, fostering tolerance -- a key basis for social liberalism.
In contrast, less educated voters are more likely to embrace intolerant, authoritarian values when it comes to regulating social behavior and, in addition, are more likely to be distrustful of those who are different than they are.
Thus, not surprisingly, white, less educated people living in rural areas or small towns tend to the most socially conservative voters in MN and America.
Those of us with post-graduate degrees are more likely to understand the complex and interdependent nature of a modern economy, and the way that prosperity is dependent on factors like an educated work force, good transit systems, and new scientific breakthroughs.
We are likely to pay higher taxes, yet that turns out to be no big deal for many post-grads who recognize that higher taxes are necessary to afford key investments and restore fiscal balance.
In every part of our state the economy is doing better, but remoteness comes with a cost, and we urbanites ought to be more willing to support people and institutions that reside in remote areas.
After we gain the major state offices in MN in 2018, we'll put it on the agenda, right after Trump embraces climate change.