For the Past Six Months, You’ve Been Working For the Government

July marks the beginning of the first day you start making money for yourself
Joe Holmes

Every hour worked, every item purchased… money is always going to the government in the form of taxes. As we approach the half-way point of the year we should celebrate – celebrate the fact that we are now earning money for ourselves. The first six months of the year, you have been a slave to one government or another. Now you are in the clear. What do I mean exactly?

The average American pays roughly 50 percent of his income in the form of various taxes each year. From income tax, to sales tax, to gasoline tax, to property tax, roughly half of your income goes to Big Brother. Despite the trillions of dollars the government takes in each year and the millions of government employees, approximately one in six Americans has no healthcare, social security’s future is uncertain at best, my street has potholes, we are losing the war on terrorism, and nearly a third of the country’s youth are failing to graduate high school. Now there are two responses to this failure – we need more government or we need more individual accountability.

Ronald Reagan once stated that the government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases “If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.” Despite Mr. Reagan’s accurate witticism, the federal government expanded in size during his presidency. Also, President Reagan left out the second half of the quote relating to his government’s view of society… If it is pregnant, commandeer it. If it is gay, condemn it. If it does drugs, jail it.

The government continues to consume vast quantities of money while producing relatively little. Since the government has largely failed in providing key services such as healthcare, retirement, and competitive education, perhaps these areas of life should be left to personal choice. Public education should be an option for parents, not a financially induced requirement. Similarly, social security should be available to people who know they are irresponsible and incapable of planning for their future, but should be waived by people who feel that a private, personal retirement fund would more accurately meet their needs.

While government is an essential component of an advanced, free, capitalist society, it should only provide services that it is has a competitive advantage in – things such as national defense, the rule of law, police and fire services, and roads. It is time to trim the fat; for too long the government has been involved in every facet of American life. There will be haters, of course, the millions of government employees, the irresponsible individuals who banked on social security alone- but we must toughen up. The United States is a super-power because of its dedication to individual liberty and personal autonomy. When 50 percent of our income goes to a government that is largely incompetent and inefficient, it undermines the very qualities that have led to our advancements.

Government will never be able to cure our social ills. These are questions we must all face for ourselves. Social discourse should emphasize the importance of education and planning for our futures, but we can mandate it. Even if the government were successful in providing the myriad of services that it seeks to provide, the victory would be cheap. We would simply be slaves serving a master. So long as we value personal choice and accountability, we must fight to keep the government out of areas it doesn’t belong. Always remember, for more of our nation’s history than not there was no federal income tax, there was no welfare system, there was no minimum wage, and there was no social security. Since it is finally the day we start making money for ourselves in 2007, think about the fundamental questions that have plagued man’s thought for thousands of years – what is the role of the individual? What is his duty to the state? What is the state’s duty to him? You may very well find that your answer is not the direction we are heading towards.