Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards continues to claim there are “Two Americas” as a major talking point when he stands before crowds in Iowa and New Hampshire. He claims our nation is divided by the “haves” and “have-nots” and that by electing him president our citizens will have a more equal status. If Edwards’ promise is to be taken seriously, one can only conclude that his cure for what ails us is legislative changes that move the country even further toward socialism. But with a U.S. tax code consisting of over 60,000 pages, only the wealthy, like John Edwards, can afford the type of accountants needed to make sure every tax loophole available is fully explored and utilized.
Barring a revolutionary change in our tax system, such as a national sales tax and elimination of all income taxes, there will never be a level playing field. Some work hard and find a way to support themselves and their families, and others live lives sincerely believing that government institutions exist to ensure comfort from cradle to grave. If socialism worked, the Soviet Union would still be a superpower and it would not have lost all of its satellite countries to the call of free enterprise. Capitalism is not the enemy, U.S. corporations do not cause poverty and discomfort, and there is no such thing as free healthcare.
Yes, John, I agree with you; there are indeed “Two Americas”. There is one America, consisting of people who wake up every morning and go off to work, supporting and nurturing a family, making good decisions, educating themselves about the world in which they live, and helping the less fortunate without a government institution telling them they must do so. And there is another America, populated by people who buy into the belief that every time things don’t go there way there must be a government program, a government agency, or a slick politician waiting in the wings to be that knight in shining armor like in the childhood fairytales we’ve all heard about. The more that latter group has demanded of government the more the first group ends up losing in real income dollars.
In any civilization (and I’m not talking about the physical and mentally disabled) there will always be a certain segment of the population that finds hard work repulsive. There will always be those that refuse to educate themselves on the latest technological advancements that could create better opportunities and greater income. Federal, state, and local taxes cannot eliminate poverty. They cannot instill rugged individualism or financial responsibility in citizens determined to wallow in self-destructive behavior. People take out loans they can’t pay back, buy homes they can’t afford, and refuse job promotions because they are scared of the added responsibilities.
Our tax code needs a major overhaul, which can do some good for those of us that pay a majority of the “real” taxes. Our citizens need to help each other through hard times instead of always looking to government agencies to fill the void of neighbor to neighbor compassion and responsibility. Government agencies and Washington beauracrats will never force the citizens of the United States into financial equality, and men like John Edwards know this to be the case. But a fool and his vote are easy pickings when the reward sounds so sweet. Too bad for the 400-dollar-haircut-Johnny that the second America probably thinks there is a government agency to go out and vote for them on election day.
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