Political Stew A'brewing

Katie is begging me to go outside with her so she can play in her blowup hippo pool, which is cool with me because that means I can swing on my glider and sip iced tea, which is really living it if it were up to me.

But I had to tell her hold on cuz I feel a political stew a'brewing within me. My father-in-law came over earlier and we talked politics some. It's weird when our elected officials are so lame both a conservative and a liberal can agree that they're lame.

But anyway, it got me talking about how I like the idea of raising taxes on the richest people in our country. Which really isn't even raising taxes at all, but returning the tax rate for the highest earners in our country to where it was back before we were trillions of dollars in debt. Giving our rich brothers and sisters that extra 3% or whatever was supposed to stimulate the economy, but I'm unaware of that happening.

I read recently that back in Eisenhower's day, taxes for the wealthiest Americans was something crazy like 91%. And people today are whining about 39%. What crybabies we've become. What happened to the hard working Americans who survived the Great Depression and lean World War II era by living with what they've got. Now we're so busy with our smartphones shoved in our faces we're ignoring the fact that the dumbasses in charge are swindling us. Unless you are reading this post on a smartphone. In that case, change the metaphorical term to junk food or reality TV or something else that leads to sedentary civics.

So here's something I've thought recently. I know a lot of people vote Republican because, in general, Republicans support limiting a woman's right to choose what is done to her own body, and I completely understand not wanting to pay taxes that go toward paying for women to have abortions. Even though there are muddled ways that our tax dollars do not pay for abortions, somehow. Don't ask me how.

So I kinda understand why someone who doesn't want women to decide what to do with their unwanted children wouldn't want their tax money going toward her abortion.

But what I can't fathom is why that same person also doesn't want their tax money going toward planned parenthood (which is a great resource of information on how NOT to get pregnant and a distributor of condoms and other healthy ways of not having a baby when you're not ready) and toward a federally funded department of education (which doesn't support the education of "someone else's kid" or someone else's "problem" but our future citizens and workers and people we want to learn how to read and how to work and how to be civically minded so they don't end up in the welfare or prison system like their parents before them.

I know I'm shushed away and called a Pinko Commie, but I simply cannot understand why people don't like to pay taxes. Taxes are good. They pay for good things that enrich our lives and protect us from people who want to kill us.

And to answer my most-asked question, "Do you really trust these morons to spend your money?" Yes, I do believe the government can spend my money better than I can. Teachers will be able to broaden my daughter's horizon more than I can. Fire fighters, police, highway and bridge and levee builders can keep me safer than I could doing those things for myself. Our miliary protects me far better than I ever could from people who want to kill me. (If attacked I'd probably fall into a fetal position and start crying.) Our judges and legislators can figure out the law better than I ever could. The FDA and EPA keeps me healthier than I could on my own. Government sponsored arts and social and humanities projects allow me to experience things I wouldn't get to on my own. Us taxpayers pooling our funds together so my dad, who is a veteran of World War II, can afford the nine prescription medications he takes to survive and dance and get engaged at age 85 gives both of us a more satisfying life. Please don't cut medicare and social security. I don't want my dad living with me, and I certainly can't afford his meds.

We are in debt as a nation, and we have insufficient funds in the bank of reality. Why is it bad to raise taxes? Please, give me the best reason you got.