Inspired by Madison320's thread, I was thinking about this topic today. My argument is that the greater the disconnect is between the American people and the actual cost of government, the less likely that the country will be to ever reign in the cost and therefore scope and power of government. In other words, I believe that Americans are more likely to tolerate government programs with which they disagree so long as they do not have to pay for them (see also the thread about exempting taxes from war spending), or at least do not directly feel the burden of them, and as such the greater the percentage of government spending that is deficit spent rather than being directly borne, year-to-year, by the taxpayer, the less motivated the taxpayers will be to work towards a reduction in that spending.
Some quick-and-dirty googling shows that government spending for 2016 was about $587 billion or 18% over its tax revenue. If the government were forced to tax the American people the exact amount of its yearly spending and increased taxes to cover that gap, I think we would see far more emphasis put on fiscal conservatism by the American people.
I suppose my conclusion would be that tax cuts without reduced spending may be a short-term benefit to people and corporations, but is to their detriment in the long term.
Site Information
About Us
- RonPaulForums.com is an independent grassroots outfit not officially connected to Ron Paul but dedicated to his mission. For more information see our Mission Statement.
Connect With Us