What if 9-1-1 was pay to play?

We’ve heard a great deal about “socialism” and how it may lead to “communism,” mostly from rabid right wing politicians and their supporters. You know the ones: proudly wearing their red hats with the acronym for “Misguided Americans Gone Astray” emblazoned on the front.

The Dems, they say, will turn us into Sweden or some such place. “Socialism bad! Free market good!” That’s all the MAGAs know because that’s all they hear. And they aren’t known to be very deep thinkers (many of them, anyway).

But do they ever consider that fact that we are already living in a somewhat socialist society?

Let me explain.

When the MAGAs get into their cars or pickup trucks and head to work or to the grocery store, do they pay a toll to use the street in front of their house?

No. That road was built with taxes that they and their neighbors paid.

If they have a fire at home and need to call 9-1-1, does the fire department require a cash payment or a credit card number before they’ll send help?

No. Again, the fire department – and the police – are paid for with taxes that they and their neighbors pay into the system.

Same with highways, bridges and overpasses that we all use.

You see, that’s the way it works. We pay into a system and benefit from the collective amount of money that can then be spent on our behalf.

Even if we don’t have a car and don’t use the roads, we all agree that they are a necessary part of our existence. Without roads, the fire truck would be unable to come to our rescue. The police would be unable to keep us safe. We couldn’t get to the liquor store!

We homeowners even pay property taxes, some of which goes to support our local schools. Even those of us who don’t have kids in the school system understand that education is the bedrock of civilization. More self-serving: we understand that companies won’t set up shop in our towns if we don’t have a good school system.

And the public schools, where Bubba and Mrs. Bubba send their kids is free to them. I pay property taxes so Bubba and co. can have free school for their little Bubbas. Imagine that. The new high school in my town set us back over $90 million. I don’t carry that kind of cash around, and I suspect the MAGAs who are screaming about socialism are more than happy to have that cost covered by “our” taxes.

Those who scream “socialism bad!” should try to understand just how much of my money, and yours, goes to keep them safe and their kids educated. Would they prefer that everything be treated like a Starbucks app? You load your credit card info into the system, and when you need to, say, call 9-1-1 the app checks to see if you have enough available balance to pay for the fire truck or police car to come to your rescue. If not, sorry about your loss. Thoughts and prayers and all that.

Would they prefer to pay a toll as soon as they leave their driveway, and another as soon as they get to the 4-way stop sign? How about if we make everything cash and carry? Put little toll booths up at every corner so we can pay for each mile of road we travel.

Under this system, kids would need a debit card starting in preschool, which they would swipe as they enter the building. Low balance? Sorry kid, you can’t come in until your parents load your card. Even Bubba and Mrs. Bubba would balk at that, I think.

The way the system is set up, we all pay our fair share, according to our ability (how much we earn) and we take out what we need. Sounds a lot like Karl Marx, I know, but it works if we all pay our fair share.

The problem is this: we don’t all pay our fair share.

Look at the 1% and the way many of them can manipulate the system so they pay zero in taxes. Look at the major corporations who not only pay zero, but receive huge REFUNDS (not sure it’s a refund if you never actually paid, but that’s what they call it).

Yes, the problem is we don’t follow “from each according to his ability, to each according to his need.” We follow who can hire the best tax attorneys, buy the right politicians, and manipulate the system so as to avoid paying a dime, all the while reaping the benefits of a civilized society.

If a fire breaks out at Amazon, which paid zero on its $5.6 billion in profits in 2018, they would simply call 9-1-1 just like me or you, and help would be on the way. Same with the roads bridges, and airports they use to generate their profit. We pay for them, they use them for free and don’t contribute to their upkeep.

No, the problem is not socialism. The problem is that not everyone pays their fair share - especially those who can most afford to do so – while benefiting from those who do. Socialism indeed. For the very wealthy.