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What would SANTA CLAUS and ROBIN HOOD do... about TAXES and WELFARE and FREE "benefits"? MORE and MORE... our United States is becoming the "LAND of PLENTY", and "The LAND of the FREE"... "plenty" of "free" government benefits ("freebies") to any-and-all who simply declare themselves to be "poor", or helpless. Selected from the on-going INTERNET BOOK, "The Doctor's Terrific Tablets" ( http://www.terrific-tabs.com ) by John N. Todd III, M. D. (link)
SEE related topics, in this website: QUALITY of Life.... in ALABAMA (link) AND: POVERTY -- WHY are "the poor" POOR? (link) Alabama's WILY Governor (link) AND: TAX -- more and more TAX from productive citizens (link) AND: REFERENDUM for MORE TAX from ALABAMA citizens (link) AND: If you ACCEPT, you TEACH (link) And: PUBLIC Schools in Alabama (link) AND: MUTUAL INVOLVEMENT Foundation for EDUCATION (M.I.F.F.E.D.) (link) Posted here 3/17/03; "Doctored" 4/03; 5/03; 6/03; 7/03; 8/03; 9/03; 10/03; 2/04; 5/04; 6/04; 7/04; 8/04; 9/04; 10/04; 11/04; 1/05; 5/05; 6/05; 5/21/06 CLICK HERE to go to the "FRONT PAGE" of "The Doctor's Terrific Tablets" CLICK HERE for ALPHABETICAL INDEX of this entire WEBSITE CLICK HERE to EMAIL your thoughts to the author This essay, by John N. Todd III -- the author of this website -- was printed in its entirety in "The Tuscaloosa News" (Alabama), on 16 March 2003.... in response to a number of earlier editorials and opinion-pieces in the Tuscaloosa News, concerning taxing "the poor". (There are minor alterations and formatting changes, in this Internet version of the original publication.) What would Santa Claus do? What would Robin Hood do? These are the most appropriate questions about "tax-reform", in Alabama. Read on. I almost hate to disturb the Tuscaloosa News's peacefully somnolent editorialists. and their preachy guest-writers; but someone needs to awaken all of them to the truth that there are many, many hard-working and productive and "religious" tax-paying citizens who do not want to pay more tax. In recent months, the readers of the Tuscaloosa News have been bombarded by repeated hand-wringing lead-editorials about how little tax the "rich" people of Alabama pay, as compared to the low-income citizens. In January 2003, a Presbyterian Sunday-School teacher (Bob Montgomery) wrote a laborious epistle about taxing the "poor". He called upon Christians to ask themselves "What would Jesus do" about taxes in Alabama, evidently an attempt to shame the "religious-rich" into demanding to pay more tax.... so that greater benefits can be granted freely and without obligation to less-productive individuals and families. In February, there was a letter-to-the-editor from Dusti Deaver, a Presbyterian "lay pastor", who unctuously stated that, "Our tax system must be changed. We must stop oppressing the poor." (The truth is that it is the "poor" who are oppressing the talented and diligent and prosperous tax-paying citizens in our society.) On Sunday (3/2/03), Ms. Hamill, a teacher at a local law school, proclaimed in a 1200 word essay in the Tuscaloosa News, that we Alabamians must demand "tax reform", so that we can "save our children". No suggestion was made to "save the adults", who pay for almost all the tax obligations in Alabama. Ms. Hamill sanctimoniously urged that we taxpayers should remember Jesus's admonition concerning "the least of these", and that we should "eliminate the injustice that is poisoning our State". Gee whiz! I am a Protestant church-goer; and I am well-informed about various religious and "spiritual" subjects; and I am a lifelong student of the Bible. I truly resent this "holier-than-thou" attitude of these churchy guest-writers. I am not aware that the Bible suggests anything more than a "tithe", as a donation for "the poor". I know that in Biblical times, the tax-collectors were hated and resented, and that they were grouped with "sinners, prostitutes, rogues, and adulterers" (in Matthew, and Luke). I do not know of any Biblical admonition that says that hard-working, industrious, intelligent individuals, who are already paying as much as 50% of their income in various taxes, should be penalized for their achievements, and for their lifelong habit of saving and investing. Neither is there a Biblical mandate that those who pay taxes should be forced to share their worldly acquisitions with those who simply declare themselves to be helpless, and poor. We tax-payers have repeatedly heard the word "fair", especially among politicians, when Alabama's tax situation is demagogued. As for me, I know of nothing "fair" about extracting more and more of the possessions of successful workers and investors, in order to give more unearned benefits to others. I want to refresh the readers of the Tuscaloosa News about certain facts that are almost never mentioned in newspaper reports about taxing "low-income" families. It is true that some low-income families may pay a small amount of State income tax; but the great majority of low-income earners actually receive many "benefits" that far outweigh the small amount of income tax they pay. Here are some of the "benefits" that already flow freely to low-income famiies -- from both Federal and State sources -- benefits that are being generously financed by productive over-taxed citizens: "Earned-income tax credit" (EITC) ($4100 per year for a single-mom with two children); food stamps (fulltime free groceries for the family); free breakfast and lunch at public schools; free transportation to and from school; Medicaid (free family healthcare and medications); "Section 8" rent subsidy (free $612 every month, for house-rent); aid-for-dependent-children (AFDC) (free monthly cash to "single-moms", for one or more children; "Child Care" ($412 per-month-per-child for day-care, for some working parents) -- (40,000 families in Alabama now receive this virtually-free "child-care" benefit); unemployment compensation; Supplemental Security Income ("SSI"), a free monthly unrestricted $512 cash payment for each rowdy, or "disabled", or slow-learning child (the so-callled "dummy-dollars"); and on and on. So, do not let your hearts bleed too much for the "helpless".... or for the idle poor. Their "benefits", paid-for by active and educated and diligent citizens, reward the "poor" with as much as $35,000 per year.... tax-free, and long-lasting.... and without any obligation to earn.... or to repay. All of these free programs, payments, and benefits are utilized by many, many individuals and families, regardless of "race".... probably by more "whites" than blacks. "Race" is not a part of the debate. Obviously, no cognizant and caring human-beings want to deprive the truly helpless, the sick, the aged, and the disabled.... of needed assistance, regardless of one's skin-color. I say that the apparent position of the Tuscaloosa News editorialists is "What would Robin Hood do?". Their answer always seems to be, "Robin Hood would take more and more from those who are educated, and who own property, and who have a well-paying job. Robin would extract more of their money, and lavish it freely upon those who are un-schooled, un-skilled, un-married, and un-willing to help themselves. Robin would tell the idle-poor that they don't need to work, or pay taxes, or produce.... because 'the system' will take care of them.... and will send them several nice monthly checks." The attitude of some welfare recipients has become, "What can Santa Claus do for me?". Many under-ambitious individuals have learned that all they need to do is to make a Christmas-list of wanted and expected benefit-gifts. Then, our obese and benevolent governmental Santa Claus will reach into his bottomless bag of benefits.... and freely bestow whatever is requested, at no cost or obligation to the wishful supplicants.... but at great cost and expense to farmers, small-business-operators, and to other hard-working and educated taxpayers.... those who are forced to sacrifice to pay tax for all the "Santa Clausian" benefits, that are handed-out to recipients who are totally unknown to the tax-payers. (The recipients of our government's "Kris Kringle benefits" will almost never opt to get a second job, in order to supplement their incomes. Why not? Because, if they earn more money, they will very likely lose a portion of their free benefits. So.... why work? Santa will provide.) Wake up, Tuscaloosa News. Why don't you try to present both sides of this important question! And, try to understand, there ain't no tooth-fairy. |