RAISE TAXES TO PAY THE DEBT

There is a solution to the debt crisis but it is a solution only adults can discuss.

If you spent, more money than you earn, you have a debt. If you are the government, you can control both spending and income. If you are the ones who are governed, you will want all the nice things in life—all the candy in the store—you control the “wish list”, which is unique for each individual but in reality, must be reduced to receiving what we can comfortably afford. When a person reviews all of this, they find that there is one thing that up sets this complicated balance. It is the basic trait called greed or in biological terms, we call “survival of the fittest”. A philosopher, Herbert Spencer, condensed all of Darwinism down to this one four-word statement. In social terms, we reduce the idea to “what I earn is mine to spend as I see fit”. Who can argue with that? Unfortunately, in a democracy, the answer is everyone who pays taxes but only the adult in the room are the ones who can seriously debate that issue.

The solution to the budget crisis is obvious: increase income or reduce spending. However, no one wants to pay taxes for any reason. If someone mentions, the subject of taxes, it is contentious and provokes anger. This is simplistic, fundamental, and reflective of inherent greed; in a word, it is childish—like wanting all the candy in the store. It is not just Grover Norquist and all the legislators who signed his pledge who are playing on this innate sentiment; it is all legislators. A clever poltical operative named Frank Luntz who runs focus groups found that being against taxes is the most powerful campaign position, or in his terms, a winning strategy in all political races no matter party or geographic region—no more taxes. If all politicians take this position, there never will be an increase in taxes. They appeal to the lowest common denominator among the electorate.  By slamming a door on this solution, “we the people” have created an impossible situation for our own government.

The adults in the room, I refer to as the Congress of the United States, is easy to judge. We are in the middle of a huge economic crisis created by a small group of radical politicians. They cry that the government is spending money faster than it is taking it in. They are refusing to pay bills they incurred. They are demanding huge spending cuts to balance the budget. How many times have you heard the words on the floor of the Senate or the House of Representatives, “Collect more taxes?”  Your answer to that question should tell how many adults there are in the room. Zero. The sad truth is that the people who elected them are the same ones giving them the low job approval rating, and are rating them for doing just what they elected them to do; not to raise taxes.  

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