Aggressive Pragmatism

Apparently the late, great George Carlin created his historic list of “Seven Words You Can’t Say on Television” with a small lack of foresight. (Seriously, if you don’t know what I’m referencing, stop and watch the youtube video below, then start reading…it’s OK…I’ll wait)

This political cycle, moreso than any I’ve previously experienced, has cemented “taxes” as the undisputed heavyweight champion of “dirty words.” The past few weeks have seen Americans of all creeds, colors and party identifications unite under the idea that more of their earned income should remain in their pockets.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I’m a 23-year-old professional. I’m salaried at a level that puts me squarely in working-middle class. I love my money. I never stop finding ways to spend it and people to owe it to.

I also embrace taxes.

I know, I’m an anomaly, A does not particularly equal B, I’m a socialist, etc.

But wait, there is a method to my wealth-spreading madness. This is no deft separation of a fool and his money.

There are many “necessary evils” that justify our tax dollars. I challenge any libertarian to present a more plausible source of funding for such social necessities as road maintenance, school funding and yes, basic health care.

There is great fear of taxation from two major groups. The middle-class is frightened of losing the dollars that they stretch into car payments, mortgages and entertainment. The upper-class s frightened of losing the capital that they can use to leverage more business opportunities, employ more workers and occasionally splurge on flights of fancy that reward long hours and vigorous thought.

To rail against taxes requires an assumption of altruism in our fellow humans. Taxes are the great correcting factor of democracy. My fellow worker-bees in the middle class realize that taxes may well keep us in a slightly smaller home, a more economical car and in line at Target. The counter-balance to this is that taxes also keep the school buildings in your municipality intact. Taxes maintain roads so that your economy-sized sedan’s axle doesn’t shatter in a pothole. We pay into a pool of money that is necessary to sustain a quality of life that affords us the ability to spend anything on products of pleasure.

Taxes are a much tougher sell to the well-off. The major majority of the working wealthy in this country have made their way through unique talent, ingenuity and opportunistic work. Telling this group of Americans to pay a higher percentage of taxes when they’ve proven the ability to succeed and earn at a rate greater than their peers seems unfair.

The concept of fairness is a prickly proposition here. In this instance, taxes are more representative of an investment. Many believe that the funds they pay into the tax pool would be more useful as a personally-guided investment into their own professional/personal spending. These same wealthy Americans must remember that without a healthy herd of worker-bees and spenders, the system can and will collapse.

Our tax money is an investment into schools that feed minds and spur innovation. Adequately funded schools can commit to teaching a forward-thinking curriculum while offering competitive salaries to competent instructors.

It is also an investment into healthcare that maintains a healthy society. It logically follows that if we are not hacking and miserable at the office or in the field,  we can be more of a focused and productive working society.

While I doubt that many will challenge the basic assumptions I’ve posited, I do forsee people recoiling at the thought of their money being spent by incompetent/greedy/out-of-touch politicians.

To that point, I can only offer what many wise men have intimated before me; we sometimes get the government we want, we sometimes get the governement we deserve.