Wanting tax money returned is not greedy

Mainstreet News (Georgia) ^ | 5/7/03 | Frank Gillispie

[CFW]

Jay Bookman is a columnist for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He is well known for his outrageous statements. But last week he out did himself. Bookman contends that we hard working Americans who want a little of our tax money back are “greedy.” He refers to us as “the greedy generation.”

I am also a columnist who is sometimes accused of making outrageous statements. So I will add to my reputation by saying that Jay Bookman is out of his mind!

Here is an example of his twisted thinking: “The money that the tax cut would allegedly “return” to the taxpayer never came from the taxpayer in the first place. Every penny that taxpayers send to the federal government is spent by the federal government.

He said: “So how is it possible to ‘return’ what has already been spent? The same dollar cannot be spent twice. The myth of ‘return’ is a fiction, a cover story, concocted to soothe what little conscience we have left about such matters.”

Government has no way of generating wealth. Wealth can only be created by labor. Those of us who make things or provide services create the nation’s wealth. Every cent they spend, no matter what route it takes, comes from the pockets of working people. Therefore, Bookman’s statement that the money any tax cut would return never came from the taxpayers is total nonsense.

Later in his column Bookman argued that a tax cut would add to the national deficit. By making this statement, Bookman is ignoring economic history. Every time we have a major tax cut, income to government increases.

President Kennedy cut taxes and saw tax revenue jump dramatically. President Reagan cut taxes and saw the same thing. When the Republicans forced a major tax cut on President Clinton, it kicked off one of the longest periods of economic growth in our history.

The deficits occurred when government increased spending at a higher rate than the tax growth could cover. That happened especially during the Reagan administration. The Republican spending cuts during the “Contract with America,” led to dramatic reduction in the deficit.Government deficits come from spending policy, not tax cuts.

Finally, Bookman’s statement that taxpayers who want a bit of our money back are “greedy” is absurd. How can we be greedy because we want to keep our own money? Isn’t the greed on the side of those who want to take our money away for their own benefit?

The true greedy in this case are those who are driven by their own greed for power. After all, money is power and those who control the nation’s wealth are the true holders of power. As long as the political elite can take our money and tell us how it is to be spent, they have the power. If we the people can regain the right to determine how our money is used, we will regain the right of “Government by the People.”

Mr. Bookman, who clearly considers himself to be among the elite who know best how our money should be spent, is the one who is greedy. The more of our money he and his political friends can take away, the happier he is.

Frank Gillispie is founder of The Madison County Journal. His web page can be accessed at www.mcga.net. His e-mail address is frankg@mcga.net.

[bruinbirdman]

"Let people keep more of their own money."

I don't like the sound of that. It should be something more like, "the government shouldn't be taking so much of peoples money." Or "the government doesn't need this much money."

Or . . . . . .?

yitbos