Agnes was pretty darn angry about how much the federal government was interfering everywhere and how much she had to pay in taxes. Today was the day of the big rally.
She got up in her home, which she and her late husband had purchased with an FHA loan years ago. She hummed to herself while she fixed her breakfast with food items inspected for purity and wholesomeness by the federal government.
Agnes went out to the garage and got into her car, and started it up. She loved her car, and especially appreciated its mileage and safety, both of which were required by federal regulations.
The anti-tax rally was held in a city a few miles away, so she drove her car onto the interstate highway, which was designed and built by the federal government. The event was held at a church, which is tax-exempt.
She enjoyed the rally a lot. The speaker told her that the people in government were stealing her money and wasting it and that it was time for people like her to stand up and stop being taken advantage of. She was so inspired that she wrote the speaker a check to continue his cause against wasting her money.
After that, she drove to the doctor for her checkup and medication, both paid-for by Medicare. While there, both she and her doctor complained about socialized medicine and what a bad idea it was.
The doctor was in a good mood, because she’d just finished paying off the low-interest student loan, subsidized by the federal government, which had allowed her to attend medical school.
Agnes drove to the bank to deposit her Social Security check into an account that is insured by the federal government. From there it was home to make herself some lunch. She liked her new energy-efficient fridge (mandated to manufacturers by the federal government) and tended to cook more than she had before.
In fact, she decided to bake a pie to celebrate her son’s new job with a company that sells computer software to the Defense Department.
It’s one of those wonderful jobs that has great benefits and job security. No one ever gets laid off from there. That was especially true since the wars have been going on for almost 10 years and there’s been trillions of dollars spent.
That was good because maybe she might need more money as she got older. It was tough living on a fixed income. She felt firmly that Social Security benefits ought to be doubled and taxes cut in half.
While eating her dinner, she got a phone call from her friends, the couple that used to live next door. They had moved down to the marina. They had a boat at the harbor that was dredged by the federal government.
Agnes wasn’t sure she wanted to go … boating seemed dangerous to her. “Oh, don’t worry,” said her friend. “You wear a life vest [required by the federal government] and if the boat gets in trouble, we just call for the Coast Guard!” (an agency of the federal government).
As she watched the evening news, she shook her head. Why can’t those people in Washington understand how angry we are? All we do is pay taxes, and get nothing at all back from it? No wonder the public is up in arms!
Agnes knew she had found her cause and couldn’t fathom why so many people couldn’t see the light the way she did.
Your Retorts column was so precisely on target! I am 80, own my own home and benefit greatly from Proposition 13, and fully realize what a free ride I have. My husband passed away recently and we have had limited income for some years, but there were other ways to preserve our right to remain in our home. I do understand that government must be paid for in order to provide the services we demand and you have so clearly identified many of them. Thank you and I hope, as I am sure you do, that people will regain the concept of responsibility for our neighbors that used to be commonly accepted as our right and our purpose as a country.
Jim,
Wow! A great piece! I’ve been trying to think of a way of saying this but couldn’t get there.
It invites every reader to look around at what they take for granted that is provided by our government — at each level.
PS: I voted in Chicago yesterday . . . and I’m not even dead!
I happened to be in Garden Grove at the last city council meeting. I picked up the journal and saw your article. I am a retired history teacher,and used to tell my students that taxes are the price we pay for civilization (paraphrasing I think, Oliver Wendell Holmes). I wish I was still teaching after reading your great article. We’re stuck in our state and nation because the Democrats wont cut programs and the Republicans wont raise taxes; where’s the compromises our democracy is supposed to have the courage to use (according to one, Ben Franklin)? Our system is based on compromise, and if we cant get there, then………..?