Well, now! Is the spectacle in Washington, D.C., finally enough? The Democrats and Republicans have polarized themselves into complete ineffectiveness with ideological grandstanding. This is not government by the people, it is two-party politics carried out as a game of chicken.
After avoiding hard decisions for years, the debt solution came not with our future in mind, but with an eye to future elections. (Heaven forbid any part of a shared sacrifice should fall on MY voters.)
The problems we now face are not Barack Obamas or George Bushs, although they have been the most recent culprits. We have eased closer to the brink gradually, over decades. Corporate welfare, deregulation of banking, and the individual entitlements we enjoy can coexist only in the best of economic times. The money still has to come from somewhere when things slow down.
If you paid any federal income tax in 2009, you paid more than Exxon/Mobil, Bank of America and General Electric combined. These corporations owed zero in taxes on $49.4 billion in profits.
How were these legal loopholes placed in the tax code? Targeted campaign contributions leading to a little tweak to a bill here and there, and voila, no taxes for the contributor. A tax code has been custom-made for corporations and tax attorneys by friends in high places.
Which major party is willing to spearhead the reform of this mess? Neither is a good guess. The job creators can expect their sweet deal to continue. Meanwhile their share of the tax burden comes out of the same pockets that pay for Medicare. Our pockets.
So where does that leave us? There are certainly legitimate services government provides: inspecting meat, maintaining roads, maintaining the military, and regulating banks(!), to name a few. The arguments are frequently over what is fair in entitlements and rewards for working. There are diverse points of view in this area, but in the end, tax money will be spent and collected. We cannot be, nor do we want to be, individually responsible for the needs of the elderly, poor children, or stabilizing markets.
One belief fueling our current economic problems is the assumption that growth is always good. In a finite world with limited resources, this is folly. If we are to feed, clothe, house, and offer the possibility of productive lives to 9 billion people, it must be with decisions based on sustainability, not ever-expanding economies and consumption.
The Green Party and other minor parties exist, and await those with the courage to vote their beliefs and hopes, not simply choose the lesser of two evils.
The Southwest Colorado Greens may be contacted by e-mailing [email protected].
Tim Hovezak of Dolores, Colo., is an officer with the Southwest Colorado Greens.
