Promise vs. Compromise

Promise Vs Compromise

    I wrote a blog earlier this year on taxing the rich. I said surely the IRS can tell the difference between a small business and a millionaire. Tax the millionaire, not the small business! Millionaires should pay a fair share of the taxes to support the government. Taxing them doesn’t hurt the economy nearly as bad as taxing business. I couldn’t figure out why our representatives on the republican side were being so illogical and refusing to tax millionaires. The reason, of course is virtually all republicans have signed a no tax increase pledge. If one of them votes to raise taxes for anyone, then a very powerful, rich man targets them, and finances a republican opponent in the next primary election. Due to his influence and large wallet, the person he backs almost always wins.
   When I first heard about the no tax pledge, I was overjoyed. At last taxes would stop rising and government would get smaller! Taxes have gone down, but unfortunately government has continued to grow. Now we’re in a bad situation, where our credit rating is going down the tubes and government is at a standstill. If we continue to stalemate, we won’t be able to finance our debt and our system will collapse. I can only guess that this is the rich man’s plan. He would like the government to go back to the debt percentages that we had during the very early 1900’s.This is a worthy goal in many ways and is achievable under the right circumstances, but there is great danger in approaching it in this revolutionary way. The results of a crash are unpredictable. A controlled landing is preferable. Who knows what might happen to our democracy with a crash of this magnitude. Perhaps it might even be a way for a dictator to take over.
    The alternative is to steer the wheel of government carefully and slowly change the speed and direction until we get where we want to go. No crashes, no broken wheels. This is done through compromise and creative alternatives. But the compromise is impossible because of the promise! Or is it? Dealing with this bully is just like dealing with the gang of outlaws in the old cowboy movies. They’re threatening the town and own the marshal. The town folk bring in the good guy to help but he is outnumbered until the citizens band together and their numbers overpower the outlaw and his gang. If all of the republicans were to band together and defy this rich man on this one issue, he would not be able to terrorize them any more. They could hold to the pledge on other taxes, but defy him in this one situation. I personally believe that the voters would support such an action. Someone has to do what is right for the country. Why not now?

Elmer A Grubbs
A semi-rational conservative