Expecting something for nothing is the most popular form of
hope. -- Arnold Glasow
It seems trivial. Not even worth mentioning. Yet a lack of
understanding of a simple truth is the source of much of our controversy and many
of our long term problems in Washington.
You can’t get something for nothing.
In the context of government, this translates as, we can’t
ask government for services unless we are willing to pay for those services
through taxes. Surveys, letters to the
editor and to legislators by citizens claim we want better services: education
second to none, transportation infrastructure and mass transit sufficient to
avoid traffic backups, police and firefighters to protect us against both the
normal problems of society and the new potential of terrorism in our back
yards. Yet, when faced with the cost of
those services, we vote in favor of candidates and positions best described by
that old shibboleth, “Don’t tax you, don’t tax me, tax that guy behind the
tree.” A classic example was the shortening of Virginia DMV hours in response to the budgetary shortfall left by
the past Governor and legislature. Everyone wanted the services, and we faced the humorous situation of GOP
legislators who voted against any way to gather the money necessary to keep the
DMV offices open, clamoring for the hours reinstatement, but none volunteered
where the money should be found.
This year we elect a Governor, Lt. Governor and Attorney
General, and 100 members of the House of Delegates. If we are to ask our
elected representatives to act responsibly then we have the obligation as
voters to act responsibly as well, and not elect legislators based on promises
we know to be impossible to keep. If we
elect people who promise high dollar services on low dollar taxes, and don’t
elect or reelect people who deal with the reality that in most states and
communities state budget dollars out must equal dollars in, both on a yearly
and long term basis, then we are on the road to turning Our country into
Mississippi. Voters need to be more
sophisticated in their analysis than “Taxes Bad.”
Nobody likes to pay taxes, but taxes are the price of
civilization. We can choose to be a very
low tax state, but only should do so with the understanding that the result
will be poor and deteriorating schools, insufficient and unrepaired roads,
understaffed and underequipped police and fire departments, and state colleges
and universities which either charge tuition as high as private institutions or
don’t provide the level of excellence we expect.
We must demand a fair tax system, where taxes paid and
services provided are balanced across regions, and between individuals and
business. But if instead of rewarding
those who try to deal with reality we continue to reward through our votes
those who propose we can get something for nothing, then nothing is what we
will get. The situation in county seats,
state capitals and Washington right now, to that extent, is our fault, because
the message we sent when we elected people who promised us a free lunch is the
way for them to keep those jobs is not to govern responsibly, but to keep
feeding us happy talk about getting something for nothing.
In the movie “The American President”, the fictional
President Shepard says, “America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship.
You've got to want it bad, because it's going to put up a fight.” If we are going to be the nation that Thomas
Jefferson and his peers envisioned when they founded our federal and state
governments, then we have to take our responsibility as voters as we ask our
elected representatives to take theirs.
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