One of the things that irks me most about the conservative agenda is their constant pandering for lower taxes and their railing about government being Evil.
I don’t like paying taxes any more than the next person, but in a time when people are being asked to support the country, our troops, and the war on terrorism without a war draft and without making any attendant sacrifice, I feel that the most minimum way to show civic duty and responsibility is to pay taxes to support what we want our government to do. And this from a party that not only squandered a $559 billion surplus left to them by a liberal president (Clinton), but became the highest-spending federal legislature of all time. How’s that for hypocrisy?
Today people are so spoiled by the harping of “No New Taxes,” everyone seems to expect new roads, better schools, and national security without having to pay for it.
If conservatives believe the U.S. government is so evil, they should leave. The American government was the first government “for the people, by the people.” No, it’s not perfect, and it has its bureaucratic waste. But if not for government (and, I might add, a Democratic president), this country during the Depression would have sunk into despair and do-nothingness. Instead, the Federal government put together the New Deal which has been the safety net for hundreds of thousands if not millions of disadvantaged Americans and restored trust and hope in the power of government to effect change.
I find it amusing with the housing market now bust and the threat of a recession upon us, conservatives have suddenly found government to be a politically expedient tool. If they are true to their principles, they should simply let “the market” work things out themselves shouldn’t they?
