NO MORE TAXES AND AND OTHER LIES

 I listened to Ex. Republican Gov. Pataki this morning on TV. What struck me was his faked sincerity when he used the tired old Republican mantra that cutting taxes is a good thing. The basic principle is that we enjoy having all the good things “but” they cost money. Republicans use the “no more taxes” expression as if we would have these good things without paying taxes. When politicians say these things, they are patronizing people who want to keep their money “because they earned it.”  The reason it this expression is so effective is that most people agree with this sentiment. People want their cake and eat it too; they want all the good things but do not want to pay for them. They want big houses, fancy cars, and long vacation trips especially if they do not have to pay for them. Real life forces them to face “pocket book reality”. When you ask these people do you want Social Security, Medicare, fire and police protection, public schools, environmental protection, Federal Aviation Administrations, among many other things people get together to provide ( government) they all agree that they want these things, especially when they need them but more so if they do not have to pay for them.  They see no paradox in the “no more taxes” and wanting all of these good things. Of course, I do not want to spend my hard-earned money for fire protection, for example, until my house is burning. Of course, I do not buy a fancy car unless I can pay for it. What we need are insightful leaders to fight for us, so we can have as much of these things as we can afford.  We need those in government office who have concern for other people whose house is burning; or rivers and lakes contaminated by industrial waste; or fly almost daily in and out of JFK, one of the busiest airports in the world.

 As Governor of New York, Pataki was an ex-leader and should have known better than saying what he said. He should have known that being patronizing is a form of avoiding the truth, which is equivalent to using my favorite conjunction ‘but,’ which really means I everything twisted what I said or it was an outright a lie; I like your dress dear, but isn’t the neck line a little low? Pataki, tell the truth to us who want to live a long and healthy life; super highways, water systems, sewers, high speed rail, EPA, OSHA, FCC, FAA, SEC, etc. If we want these things we have to pay for them.