MWM ISO the Politics of Truth

Today's political rhetoric is weighed down by misguided denunciations of the so-called "politics of fear." Even as our Nation debates the merits of health care reform, representatives of both parties regularly accuse their opponents of engaging in the politics of fear.

Karl Rove recently pointed out in a Wall Street Journal Op-ed that President Obama promised during the campaign to end the “politics of fear and cynicism,” but that the President expressly played the "fear" card at a July news conference:

Reform is about every American who has ever feared that they may lose their coverage, or lose their job. . . . If we do not reform health care, your premiums and out-of-pocket costs will continue to skyrocket. If we do not act, 14,000 Americans will continue to lose their health insurance every single day. These are the consequences of inaction.

The very dangerous false premise that unites both parties in denouncing the politics of fear is that nothing politicians do should scare us. If this were true, we would not need the protections of Federalism, the independent judiciary (although sometimes we need to be protected from it too), and the checks-and-balances among the theoretically co-equal branches of government.

The ultimate standard to which we should hold our politicians is truth--truth upheld as such independent of the emotive response it instigates.

Much of what is true is cause for legitimate fear. And fear in and of itself is a healthy motivator, if the fear is based in reality. The Bible, for example, teaches that "fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" (Prov. 1:7).

We should be indifferent to whether someone is engaging is in the politics of fear, if that fear is grounded in truth.

EG

Why the Government Spending Binge?

On January 27, 1996, then President Clinton declared that the era of big government was over. We laugh or sigh at President Clinton's declaration now, but have you ever wondered how our Nation has devolved to the point where our politicians propose endless trains of taxing and spending programs for which we can't pay: e.g., cap-and-trade; health insurance reform; cash for clunkers; and the so-called stimulus bills? The reason today's politicians spend with impunity is that they are supported by a host of voters dependent on government largess for their existence and a sharply growing free-riding class predisposed to government handouts.

According to IRS statistics complied by the nonpartisan Tax Foundation, in 2007, the last year for which statistics are available, filers in the top 50% of AGI paid 97.11% of federal income taxes. And the top 1% of income tax payers paid more than the entire bottom 95% of income tax payers.

As startling as these numbers are, the disparity between the payers and the pay-nots is even more pronounced. From 2000 to 2006 the number of filers with no tax liability after taking credits and deductions rose by 57%, to 45.6 million filers. In 2009, it is estimated that these zero-liability returns will make up over 40% of all returns filed.

With 40% percent of "taxpayers" paying no taxes, is there any surprise these free riders care nothing about the debt-laden millstone they are fastening around the necks of current and future generations?

EG