The Tax Man Commeth
by Gary Clark (e-mail: GClark@liberator.net) [April 21st, 2002]April 15th was fast approaching and I was trying to explain to my new wife, recently immigrated from Communist China, what it was all about.
"Why do we have to give one-third of the money we earn to the government?" she asked.
“It sounds like you just told me that here [the government] take[s] money from people like us who work hard and give it to people who don't work and have too many babies even though they don't have husbands.” "It's because of socialism." I replied.
She didn't understand and replied, "Socialism? China is a socialist country. I thought the United States was capitalist. What socialism are you talking about?"
"You know," I said, "It's for all those government programs."
She didn't understand and asked, "What programs?"
"How about social security." I replied.
"What"s social security?" she asked.
"It's a government program that pays money to retired people whether they need it or not," I said.
"But didn't all those people pay money into that program?" she asked.
"That's right." I replied.
"Well then, they're just getting back the money they paid in, aren't they? she asked.
"Only for the first few years." I said. "After that they've collected all the money back they paid in, but as long as they're still living the government goes right on paying them more money anyway." I went on.
She didn't understand.
"That does seem a little like socialism." she said. "Where does the government get the money?"
"From the self-employed and other working people like you and I," I told her, "Which is why they're taking more than a third of everything we make. And then there's all the other programs," I added.
She didn't understand.
"What are the other programs?" she inquired.
"Well, there's Medi-Care and Medic-Aid." I replied.
She didn't understand.
"What are they?" she asked.
"That's where the government pays money to doctors and hospitals that take care of poor people." I answered.
"Oh," she said, "That does sound like socialism. I guess everyone in America gets good medical care then."
"Oh no!" I quipped. "About a third of the people in this country have no medical coverage at all."
She didn't understand.
"What?" she responded. "How can that be? In China everyone gets medical coverage. It's free if you work for a government work unit and very low cost if you don't. If the government takes so much of our money, why can't they provide medical care to everyone?"
"Beats me!" I said. "But that's not the only thing. We've also got welfare."
She didn't understand.
"What's welfare?" she asked.
"You know, I said, that's where the government gives money to unwed mothers who get pregnant, drop out of high school, have three kids before they're twenty and can't work because they've got three kids to look after."
This time she really didn't understand.
"What!" she gasped. "The money they take from us goes for that? That does sound like socialism, except in China, a socialist country, nobody ever has a baby unless she's married. Babies born to unmarried women are called bastards and any women who has a bastard child is an outcast. Even a married couple is only allowed to have one child. If they have more than one, the government takes money and other benefits away, it doesn't give them more."
"Yup." I quipped. "But the US is a capatilist country. Things are different here."
"They sure are!" she responded. "It sounds like you just told me that here they take money from people like us who work hard and give it to people who don't work and have too many babies even though they don't have husbands."
"That's right." I replied. "Thats just exactly what they do."
She really didn't understand.
Come to think of it, I don't either.
Resources and Avenues for Further Study
The Common Sense Collection: Why Government Welfare Never Works