If You Have an Income, Listen Very Carefully to Barack Obama

In his remarks at the White House yesterday President Obama Called for extending Bush tax breaks for another year -- at least for certain taxpayers, those earning less than $250,000 per year. Apart from the continued exacerbation of class warfare in pitting "the middle class" against "the wealthy," a more deadly nuance lurked in his words. Twice in his brief speech he pointed out that we need to enact this cutoff because "we cannot afford to spend on tax breaks for the wealthy." Those words should frighten and arouse anyone who has an income. They are not ill-chosen words; they are a look into the very political and economic heart of the current president and his regime. Allowing income earners to keep a portion of their money is considered by them to be spending by the government. In other words, all of your money is theirs to spend. They spend it on their special programs, their cronies, their allies and their adoring lapdogs. They spend some of it on the producers in order to keep the well flowing.

Government has no money to spend except what it confiscates from those whose labor and intelligence produce wealth. A tax reduction is not government spending except in the convoluted sense of socialist elitists who believe they own everything and they alone know what and in what quantity is best for the masses. Government is necessary and valuable. Its primary functions are to restrain evil, maintain internal peace and order, and keep its citizens secure. It needs to encourage individual liberty and personal responsibility. The details of how these are accomplished are matters of legitimate debate. One thing not subject debate is what government owns. It owns nothing.