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Opinion
Some
plain, wise advice on paying for government
July
17, 2006
Part
II of III: The war to stabilize the ship of state.
There is
no doubt the United States in involved in more than one war.
The war against terror is a constant reminder that as long as
there are extremists willing to die so they can kill us, we
have no choice. We must take the fight to them, wherever they
are, instead of waiting for them to come here and kill
us.
Ordinarily, before 9-11, we might not have thought of
terrorists bringing mass bloodshed to this country. We saw,
however, that it is not as farfetched as some might have
believed before that fateful day in 2001.
Then there is a
war going on to reinforce the historic “goodness” of America
by standing up for the faith and morality that made this
nation strong and the most envied on earth. It’s a war being
played out every day in the news and the intent of those
challenging our values hardly seems
inescapable.
THERE IS YET ANOTHER WAR.
It, too, may not seem the kind of thing that can or should be
described as a war. Nevertheless, the ever-increasing spending
beyond the nation’s basic needs and the tax system to support
that spending is a malignant cancer that, left unattended,
will eventually destroy the economic foundation we are built
upon.
National leaders have come and gone, and each has
offered what he believed would be the answer to all problems,
economic and otherwise. One, however, President Grover
Cleveland, put it as plainly and wisely as anyone. In fact,
the advice he offered might have been the best possible for
his time. History, though, has shown us that it may have been
the best advice possible for all time. Even with that as a
guide, we’ve still managed to tax and spend our way into a
veritable mess.
CONSIDER THE WORDS OF
President Cleveland, weigh them and put them in the
perspective of 2006:
“When more of the people’s sustenance
is exacted through the form of taxation than is necessary to
meet the just obligations of Government and expenses of its
economical administration, such exaction becomes ruthless
extortion and a violation of the fundamental principles of a
free Government.”
Then he said, “The lessons of paternalism
ought to be unlearned and the better lesson taught that while
people should patriotically and cheerfully support their
Government, its functions do not include the support of the
people.”
That is wisdom for the ages. Where did we go
wrong?
Next: Part III: the war on Christianity.
Editorial expression in this feature represents
our own views.
Opinions are limited to this page.
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