Taxation, Justice and the Democrats
So, old Republican Joe is gone, but Libertarian Joe may have taken his place. Presidential candidate Barack Obama wants to place the burden of the social security tax on people making $250,000 or more (click here). Apparently, people making $250,000 or more are the richest 3% of United States citizens. Libertarian Joe has been crying and tearing his hair out, but Libertarian Joe really wants to make $250,000 some day and doesn’t want to be penalized for it.
Justice and the tax system are two warring factions that have been at odds since, oh, 1760-something. We have fought wars over taxes far less than what we pay now, and for what? The compassionate person in me wants there to be taxes that pay for homeless shelters, job re-training for senior citizens and the disabled, rehab programs for drug offenders and so forth. However, the realist in me knows giving 30% of all America’s GDP to the mental midgets who make up Congress and the various state governments is like letting William Hung produce an album.
I see two issues here, one is whether or not the government (state or federal) can properly allocate moneys for the various programs and infrastructure we are taxed for; and the second issue is whether or not a graduated tax system is just. The second issue is basically the true different between Republicans and Democrats, the first issue really doesn’t have much of a debate. In the City of Los Angeles for example (click here) there is so much patronagebetween various politicians that corruption is rampant. How can you trust Mayor Villaraigosa to properly dispense city funds when he’s busy appointing friends and family to various political posts? Now, LA is a microcosm to just about every government entity in the nation, from the White House to the Kansas City planning commission. A major challenge I have in the various tax raising plans that have come up is the incompetence of government. It would be fine if hungry people were eating or sick people were being taken care of, but food banks are dangerously empty, infrastructure across the country is ancient and government inadequacy is insane.
The other argument is a challenging one. Personally, at this point, I believe in a sales tax. Tax consumerism and people will be forced to not only buy less, but save more. Put heavy taxes on cigarettes, pornography, alcohol and other such items; put a carbon tax on every car sold that doesn’t get at least 30 mph. Sales taxes seem far more fair and just, especially when it means spending less saves you money.
Is it unjust to the middle class (and making $250,000 if you’re living in New York or California pretty much makes you middle class) if they’re taxed at such a rate? Are we allowing jealousy to run our tax theory? Does someone who makes $250,000 a year have the right to complain about their taxes being raised when a family struggling to get by on $60,000 a year or less could use their money?
I think part of the tax question comes down to two types of greed. The greed of politicians who are seizingon a poor economy to further their own liberal agenda, and the greed of hedge fund managers, studio executives, bankers and even marketing executives who haven’t given enough money to charities and other causes; this greed is coming from both sides. It’s wrong to punish success, but it’s biblically wrong to say “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”
When these two types of greed collide, I think Christians are left with a crappy choice, side with Republicans who would say “We’ve earned this money, pulled ourselves up by our boot straps, how can government take it away?” And Democrats who would say “Since you’re so successful, we’re going to fund our vision for America with your money.” Christians are called to help the poor, and often have a heart to help the poor. But are these two choices our only options?
FAILURE OF THE CHURCH
This is going to be a short paragraph. The American Church has failed to feed the poor, both here and abroad. There are small pockets of success, and some people who are fighting the good fight, but overall we are failing. I used to hear arguments that it’s the church’s role to feed the poor, not the government. This logic was used to argue against high taxation. This logic is just not something I can trust, because the church is failing and the poor have to eat.
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