Luke 20:22-26
[22] Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" [23] He saw through their duplicity and said to them, [24] "Show me a denarius. Whose portrait and inscription are on it?" [25] "Caesar's," they replied. He said to them, "Then give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." [26] They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent.
I have no problem paying my fair share of taxes. It is right; it is fair; it is Biblical. They pay for our schools, our roads, our police and our parks. I like all those things (minus some issues with the schools, but that is another post) and we need them for our way of life to work.
But what is going on in Washington is wasteful, which is decidedly unbiblical and wrong.
I prefer my taxes to go towards things I use, so will someone please explain to me why my tax dollars are going toward textile research in North Carolina? That is right, $1,000,000 for the Textile/Clothing Technology Corporation in Cary and $1,000,000 for North Carolina State University in Raleigh. I like textiles, they make my clothes stay together. But I would like an explanation from Congressman David Price as to why my federal tax dollars need to be spent on this.
And I know that Detroit is having serious problems. So I am pretty sure that $3,800,000 for the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy for preservation and redevelopment of a public park and related business activities in the Corktown Neighborhood is just what they need to get Detroit running again. But I live in Virginia, so Sen. Carl Levin, what impact will said Conservancy have on my life?
And, while I know Mississippi is a tourist mecca, why are my tax dollars flooding into that state? I have never been there, but maybe I should visit to see what my hard earned money has bought. $46,756,750 of your hard earned tax dollar are being spent on 38 projects proposed by Thad Cochran, including: $950,000 for Audubon Mississippi for a nature-based education facility; $950,000 for Downtown Jackson Plaza, Inc. for construction of a civic gathering place; $475,000 for the JATRAN light rail feasibility study; $427,500 for Natchez riverfront trails; and $380,000 for renovation of Jackson’s Thalia Mara Performing Arts Center. In March, patrons of the Thalia Mara Performing Arts Center could enjoy a rendition of “Jesus Christ Superstar.” In April, the Arts Center will present, “Bob the Builder: Live.” Tickets range from $15 to $36.50.
Bob the Builder, huh? I wonder how he is with economics. Can we fix it? I sure hope so.
I attended DC's tea party today, it was wet and cold and cut short by a possible bomb (aka box of tea bags). But people were fairly pleasant and seemed to understand what this movement is all about. It isn't anti government, or anti tax, or anti Obama. It is anti waste.
We want accountability from the people who are supposedly representing us.
I want term limits.
I want earmark reform.
I want the people in Washington to listen.
And I don't want to pay $1,791,000 for swine odor and manure management research in Ames, IA.(it's true, look it up).
Finally, let me make a predicition, a mass exodus of incumbents in 2010.
All the stats come from the Citizens Against Government Waste 2009 Pig Book. It can be found at http://www.cagw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=reports_pigbook2009
