Taxes

Taxes are the price of civilization in a democracy. Protesters here in Boston are demonstrating against increased fares proposed for the public transportation system. I wonder how many of these demonstrators also supported state legislators who rejected Governor Patrick's reasonable plan to raise gasoline taxes to cover public transportation expenses several years ago. If Governor Patrick's plan had been approved, this crisis may well have been avoided. 

The cost of citizenship in a well maintained environment is paying taxes. The cost of having well educated and civilized children in public schools is paying taxes. The cost of reducing crime and increasing public safety is paying taxes. There is no magical way of providing for the common good. Libertarians are deluded in thinking that somehow the streets will get swept and the street lights will shine without a well funded government. 

This is where I see an inherent conflict between being a humanist and being a Libertarian or fiscally conservative Republican. I agree with President Obama in his indictment of the Congressional Ryan Plan as Social Darwinism. Darwin's observations serve us best when we acknowledge our unique power as human beings to work together to create a civil society which provides social and economic justice for all. Currently, many human beings generally behave as do all other animals. They think and behave under the assumption that prosperity is for the aggressive and the most fortunate. Many mega-churches preach a gospel of materialism that follows this general line of thought, substituting their god's grace for the fortune of genetics and circumstance.

In this tax season, I am always reminded of my own debt to social benefits which depend on taxes. My grandparents struggled through much of their lives without a social security system. They had no affordable access to health insurance. They had no unemployment insurance. Their children, however, were blessed with excellent public education, funded by taxes. My parents were able to utilize that education to overcome the devastating effects of a Great Depression on their childhoods. They were able to recover from the equally daunting effects of a World War. Their public education, even attained in poor communities, were their key to a more prosperous and secure life.

I cringe as I hear blowhards on the far Right blandly talk of eliminating public education, environmental regulations and public health activities of government. This is idiotic, to put it mildly. Since the proponents of this kind of drivel are usually somewhat affluent and appear educated to a degree, I have to speculate that they may be mentally or emotionally impaired in some way, as was their goddess Ayn Rand.

Without adequate tax revenues and government intervention in a positive way in the lives of citizens, there cannot be civilization in human populations in the millions and billions. Those with great wealth, subjects of greed and avarice who do not wish to pay taxes, are uncivilized predators. They are not fellow citizens. They are a self-appointed aristocracy. This is not class warfare. This is a simple statement of fact.

Taxing the rich more aggressively is the job of government. It is not the only answer. We all must contribute to the public budget in order to benefit from it fairly. As a humanist, I pay my taxes without regret. I have no children of my own, but I have paid property taxes for public education gladly. I know that my own enjoyment of peaceful citizenship is dependent on educated children who can grow to be self-educating and responsible adults. And, as a humanist, I take it as my responsibility to pay attention to how effectively and conscientiously my taxes are spent for the benefit of all citizens, not just the privileged few.