Here’s a 3rd taste of what’s coming July 25!

Taxes: Your Efforts, Our Future

By Donald Wiggins

The Tax Poem

Attributed to Charley Reese, former Orlando Sentinel and King Features columnist, deceased May, 2013

Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table,
At which he’s fed.

Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.

Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for
peanuts anyway!

Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.

Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think.

Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries
Tax his tears.

Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax his ass.

Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won’t be done
Till he has no dough.

When he screams and hollers;
Then tax him some more,
Tax him till
He’s good and sore.

Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he’s laid…

Put these words
Upon his tomb,
‘Taxes drove me
to my doom…’When he’s gone,
Do not relax,
It’s time to apply
The inheritance tax.

As the nation’s tax code is being rewritten by the party in power, the question emerges: how shall we fund, finance, and pay for shared co-existence? How shall we pay for safe and clean water, energy infrastructure, space travel, earth orbital defenses, education, and other aspects of living which require cooperative efforts, and financing, for the common benefit of all.  

Underneath the polarization, taxpayers are unified in wanting a healthy, prosperous, growth-filled life in which they can fulfill their most basic needs, be safe, build community, and attain their highest dreams. Ultimately, taxpayers stand at the intersection of freedom and commerce, with many options on the table, from total elimination of property taxes and income tax to elimination of income tax and retaining state or local property taxes, to flat tax, to a value added tax. 

In the coming article we will cover jurisdictional (i.e. federal, state, local) breakdown for taxes; existing tax proposals; impacts caused by changing the tax structure; consideration of the interdependence of public financing and taxes on government structure, powers, and individuals’ relationship with government and each other; and we will address select concerns associated with each proposal such as the perennial “How will the schools be funded?”

Keep Cool and Think It Out

The Editors

Citizens Digest Staff

• Ruth McLatchie, Editor-in-Chief, Written Media
• Mike Gonzalez, Technical Editor, Writer
• Donald Wiggins, Chief Legal and Organizational Officer
• Daniel DeLuca, Chief Financial Officer
• Mark Harris, Operations Manager
• Elizabeth Frost, Circulation and Volunteer Manager
• Alicia Meckstroth, Contributor

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