The U.S. Senate has passed its first budget in four years. This in itself is a pathetic commentary on the inability and unwillingness of our government to do even its minimal, Constitutionally mandated duties.
The budget, while not binding as the House of Representatives will not likely approve it, calls for $1 trillion in tax hikes. Regardless of the final outcome, massive tax hikes are coming for sure.
This is our government’s way of telling us that Americans don’t pay enough in taxes. Only about half of the population pays income taxes, and they will now shoulder a greater burden than ever before. The other half of the population thinks, ‘Oh, that’s OK. They’re rich and they can afford it.’ This may be true of the very richest, but not everyone the government considers ‘rich’ is really rich enough to afford tax increases. Consequences are inevitable. Products will not get to market that otherwise would have; jobs will not be created that otherwise would have; and innovation in the economy will slow or even halt as the government continues to take more and more from ‘the rich’ who supposedly do not matter.
Payroll taxes have gone up this year, as well. This affects everybody who works, whether they’re rich or not. I have heard complaints about this from everyone, ranging from people making minimum wage to people with seven-figure businesses who have to make cuts somewhere.
And let’s not forget Obamacare, which comes fully into effect next year. That may end up as the biggest tax increase in human history, given the mandates on businesses to pay for ever-more escalating health insurance premiums. Does anyone think these mandates don’t cost anything? That only ‘the rich’ or their mean bosses will pay? Watch and learn.
It’s truly amazing to live in the midst of so much ignorance. A majority of people clearly believe that taxes should go up. The mandate of the last election could not have been clearer: Raise taxes, keep the Obamacare and other mandates going. And it’s happening, for sure.
But already people are unhappy with the results. For the first time, Gallup polls suggest that Obama’s popularity is going down. People who voted for him are saying, essentially, ‘He raised payroll taxes. How could he let that happen?’
Were they not listening? Consider comments of Barack Obama earlier in his term.
Barack Obama: ‘Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. Because it’s only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential.’
In other words: Life isn’t about self-fulfillment and personal happiness. It’s about hitching your ‘wagon’—that is, your life—to others. And government stands ready to force you to do so, especially under Obama’s policies of mandates, higher government spending and higher taxation.
Barack Obama: ‘We can’t drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times… and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK. That’s not leadership. That’s not going to happen.’
In other words: America is a better place to live than any other place, merely by accident. That’s the implication. And you must feel guilty for it. And we only flourish with the permission of other countries, precisely because those countries are less well off. Maybe their systems don’t permit as much economic freedom, and as a result their economies are poorer. Instead of blaming their systems, we should blame ourselves—according to Obama.
Barack Obama: ‘We didn’t become the most prosperous country in the world just by rewarding greed and recklessness. We didn’t come this far by letting the special interests run wild. We didn’t do it just by gambling and chasing paper profits on Wall Street. We built this country by making things, by producing goods we could sell.’
In other words: Wanting to make a profit is bad. But you still should produce goods. If not for a profit, then why should we? They tried that in Soviet Russia, North Korea, Cuba and elsewhere. It’s called Communism. It doesn’t work, and it should not work because it’s unjust and insane. People are morally entitled to the profits of their success, in the billions or trillions if that’s how much success they have. Obama doesn’t agree with this, and he never has. But people kept voting for him anyway.
This is what happens when people don’t pay attention and refuse to think critically. To understand why things are the way they are, you need only listen to our leaders. Obama is the chief leader. He has made it clear every step of the way that selfless duty to others comes before personal happiness. When millions of Americans act surprised or indignant that his policies are leading to less individual happiness and fewer personal freedoms, it’s impossible to feel sorry for them. They brought it all on themselves, by their own mental inactivity and refusal to pay attention.
Barack Obama, more than most politicians, means exactly what he says. That’s why we’re increasingly in the trouble we’re all in.
Be sure to “friend” Dr. Hurd on Facebook. Search under “Michael Hurd” (Rehoboth Beach DE). Get up-to-the-minute postings, recommended articles and links, and engage in back-and-forth discussion with Dr. Hurd on topics of interest.