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The other day, I was thinking, okay I'm a traditionalist and I find myself more attuned to conservative Republicans than I do to Democrats of any stripe. But, hey, what if (granted this is a BIG what if) what if the Democrats can be taken at their word? What if they mean it when they say they will raise the taxes of the rich and give more breaks to the rest of us? What if they can actually bring prices down for gas and medical care, and food, and all the rest? Wouldn't that be great? Wouldn't that make the electing of a Demon... oops... old habits die hard... Democrat easier to take? I mean it would be nice to be able to save some bucks on all this day to day stuff. Maybe we could live with these folks, as long as they promise not to drop their trousers (or panties as the case may be) in the oval office and stain the White House again.
But then I exit the Twilight Zone. Reality comes back. I sober up. I have lived long enough to see both Democrats and Republicans in the White House. I was born when FDR was President. And then another Democrat, Harry Truman. Then Republican Ike. Then Dem JFK and LBJ. Then Republicans Tricky D. and Ford. Then Dem Jimmy the Peanut Farmer Carter. Then Republicans Death Valley Days Reagan and Bush the Elder. Then eight interminable years of the first black President, Devil-in-the-Blue-Dress Clinton. And now the first Mexican President, GW Bush. And in all those years, with all those Democrats in office, did the price of ANYthing ever go down? Did my total tax burden EVER go down? Those are of course rhetorical questions.
Everything goes up, it never comes down. There is no gravity in the universe of consumer pricing. The Democrats give with one hand and take more with the other. They say they will tax the rich and give the rest of us a break. Like when? Show me a year when I paid less in taxes in the last sixty years. Like when they lower the income tax on the poorest people but raise the "hidden" taxes on everything else? If you calculate the total amount of taxes you pay to the government through hidden taxes such as those on virtually everything that is made, sold or consumed in America, you are turning over maybe 50% or better of your income to the government so they can squander it and give it away to the undeserving. As long as the undeserving will keep on electing the Ted Kennedy's and Barney Franks and Barbara Boxers.
But the Republicans make me laugh, too. I love when they tell us that they will lower corporate taxes so large companies can invest in more cost-efficient equipment, plants, research, and create new jobs. Then when these companies save all this money we will benefit because they will pass along the savings to us in the form of lower prices for the products and services we purchase from them. Hahahahahahah! Hold on while I get up off the floor.
When in the history of marketing has a company EVER passed along their savings to the consumer in the form of lower prices!? Like gasoline? Like food? Like automobiles? Or insurance or tuition or medication or medical care? Or the interest your bank pays you? I once had a bank account that paid me 10% on my savings. What is it now? 1 or 2% - if you are lucky? And the government has the temerity to tax that! Can bank interest rates go any lower? How long before we have to pay THEM to hold our money for us? Oh sure you can buy fluff a lot cheaper now - stuff made in China - but only junk you really don't need in the first place. Chachkies that never even existed ten years ago. Anything you really need, including the shirt on your back, is gonna cost you more, Bunky.
The government - and particularly the Democrats - wants all the money to be channeled through it - medical care, education, transportation and all the rest - so they can regulate it because we poor souls are unable to do it ourselves. That's what they say. But what they MEAN is it gives them an opportunity to skim much more off the top of this much longer gravy train.
Face it folks, when it comes to taxes and otherwise taking as much of your money from you as they can, don't look to either party for relief. If you are looking for a reason to vote for one party or the other... believe me you need to find some reason other than economics. The only way out of this vicious cycle is to make enough money so that even if they take 50%, the remaining 50% still leaves you plenty.
Now most of us will never get to that point. But for those who are able and willing to take a risk, your best bet is Republican. Because they fundamentally understand that new and small businesses still make up well over 50% of the employment in America. They craft their economics to try and benefit upstarts. Less regulation, lower business taxes, fewer lawsuits and so on. You know - things like when Democrats force business establishments to spend tens of thousands of dollars to install access ramps and other facilities for handicapped people, none of whom will ever actually ever visit that particular establishment.
Before you holler "Oh yeah..." let me add this: the fact that many or even most new businesses fail in their first year has nothing whatsoever to do with either Democrats or Republicans. It has to do with people starting businesses designed to fill needs that others are already filling better, or needs which don't really exist, or not having a real business plan, short-sighted under-capitalization, or just plain not having business acumen, or one of many other faults common to the new business owner.
Bottom line is still the same. The Democrats will do whatever they can to keep you trapped in the never-ending cycle of taxation and dependency. The Republicans will make the cost of goods and services climb just as fast but they don't want you depending on them for anything. So they offer you the possibility, small as it may be, of getting on the gravy train by starting your own business.
