Ah, July 4th. America celebrates her birthday and the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Among the chief concerns stated in the document among several was taxation without representation. Now we have representation, but unfortunately they suck and we keep electing them.
On an average day, you probably get up, drive to work in a car that was taxed when you bought it, fueled by gas that is taxed (rolled into the cost, so you don’t think about it). Once at work, you realize in an hour that you produce, you get to keep only about 65% of what you earn, since federal, state and local taxes, combined with Social Security and Medicare (both of which are projected to go bankrupt in less than 15 years – Bernie Madoff anyone? No, there’s no redress against Washington.) eat up an ever rising % of your paycheck. You probably then go get something to eat or purchase goods and/or services, which are taxed up to 10%, depending on what state you live in. Throw in property taxes, tolls, fees, and the fact that the businesses you buy from are also taxed (which raises our prices) and you at least breathe a sigh of relief knowing your country is stable. Oh wait, we’re over $15 trillion in debt and rising and both parties have their hands in our pockets. Hmmm. Term limits, anyone? Oh Congress just voted that down last year. Time to watch Doomsday preppers again, I might be missing something…plus, with the millions I make from comedy each year, at least I can fall back on that. Just in case, I think I’ll brush up on my Mandarin.
That said, for every Dred Scott or Plessy v. Ferguson moment, there’s the Emancipation Proclamation or the Civil Rights Act. For every sleazy politician, there’s twenty soldiers ready to fight for liberty. And we have the Bill of Rights – so I can run my mouth, one dick joke or drunken rant at a time. USA! USA! USA!