July 4th, 2011

Happy Independence Day!

Yes I said Independence Day, not Happy 4th of July.  The 4th of July is just another day, like the 10th of October, but Independence Day means something.  It celebrates the day that the American people stood together against the tyranny and autocratic rule of King George and Great Britain. Our Founding Fathers believed in the morality and character of the people of this young collection of colonies and that they could govern themselves more effectively and justly than an overbearing, invasive government.  This defiance of the crown and the drafting of the Declaration of Independence required amazing courage and tremendous sacrifice. The brave men who signed that parchment knew it would trigger a strong reaction from England and that they would be branded traitors and that all of America must pay for this act of defiance.  Many lost their businesses and their fortunes but they knew that the benefits of independence and self-governance was worth the sacrifice.

Today we are facing a similar situation. We have a government that is growing larger and more invasive by the  moment. It is rapidly creating a "nanny state" based on entitlements and bloated government programs.  This has two glaring problems:

1. It promotes laziness among its citizens.
2. It requires enormous sums of money to fund it each and every year.

So, where does that money come from?  The "rich?"  The wealthiest 10% of Americans already pay approx. half of the nation's tax burden!  Half of all Americans pay NO TAXES AT ALL!!!  Why?  Simple.  The US tax code is a convoluted mess. There are so many loopholes and deductions in it that it would hold water as effectively as a colander.  There is a solution, possibly two.  We should get rid of the current graduated tax scale and implement either a flat tax of 15% across the board or the "fair tax" which is based on consumption, not income.  Either would be better that what we have in place.  The Democrats' "soak the rich" philosophy will only harm and could possibly destroy our economy.  As I'm sure you've seen, it's already doing it.  Don't they realize that the ones they so vilify are the ones who are responsible for growing this economy?

Don't get me wrong. I don't feel that anyone should have to suffer through poverty, but it is NOT the government's responsibility to ensure your quality of life!  You should determine your own fate.  Also, this country is the only country that I know of that penalizes you for being successful! Why? The graduated tax code.  If we use the fair tax or the flat tax, that problem goes away. You are rewarded for your hard work and you get to reap the benefits.

So, how do we stop this from happening? We use the best weapon we have at our disposal: knowledge.  Do your homework, read, read, and read some more.  Don't rely on cable news and the media to form your opinion for you.  Then take that knowledge and VOTE!!!  We had an election here that was decided by one vote!  That is proof that every vote does in fact count. Please don't be a spectator in your future and the future of this great country.  Have a say and make your opinion known, no matter what it is.  Above all, ask yourself this question:  Is this what our Founding Fathers wanted, and would they be proud of what we've become?  Don't let us become King George's England!  Until then, Happy Independence Day and God Bless the Republic.

David