Government set up to tax, spend

We have two major political parties in our country, Republicans and Democrats. For our government to work reasonably well, both parties need to behave, have a reasonable grip on reality and actually have an interest in governing responsively to meet the challenges of a changing world.

Responsible governance cannot be based on a handful of words and catch phrases, while ignoring the complexity of an evolving world. For one party to repeatedly characterize the other as “those tax and spend Democrats” and to proclaim that “there is no such thing as a bad tax cut” trivializes the mission of government.

It may disturb the modern Republican Party to no end, but the basic functions government has are to tax and spend. This is a realistic definition of government: that which taxes and spends.

We may argue about how government taxes (income, sales, property, progressive or regressive) and about what it spends on (health care, defense, roads, lawmaking and enforcement), but it always boils down to the same fundamental actions: Government taxes and government spends. To label taxation as an obscenity, only associated with the other party, is to ignore the realities of sound economics and responsible governance.

This national tax phobia, driven by Republican politics and sloganeering, is reflected in our still unfolding recession and economic crisis. The idea that we can be wealthier through financial manipulation and irresponsible borrowing is at the core of the worst financial crisis since the Depression. Real wealth only comes from real work, actual production and responsible behavior, not from making bad loans and borrowing beyond all reason.

To continually tell the American people that they can have adequate government without adequate taxation is not responsible, hard work, honest or productive of a better standard of living for our country. “I hate taxes, you should too” might win elections but it certainly is not responsible leadership.

Until both of our political parties are willing to talk about adequate taxation to pay for adequate government, we’ll be doomed to live an economic fantasy that 10 million unemployed Americans would more likely call a nightmare.

Adequate taxation for adequate government is a responsibility that both Democratic and Republican leaders must accept if they choose to lead, rather than pander for the voter’s approval.