Einstein was right about taxes

From Timesgazette.com

Hundreds of cities in all 50 states are expected to throw thousands of TEA parties (Taxed Enough Already) across the nation today to protest what organizers call irresponsible spending of tax dollars by elected officials. In Highland County, a tea party is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the county courthouse lawn.

"Our founding fathers warned about the national debt," said historian David Barton, the keynote speaker at next week's Citizens for Community Values banquet in Cincinnati. "In a relatively short period of time, we have seen an explosive increase in government spending and national debt. Previous generations avoided these unhealthy practices, being guided by wise political leaders who understood the blessings of frugality and the dangers of debt. For example, Alexander Hamilton, America's first secretary of the treasury and also a signer of the Constitution, wisely declared, 'Allow a government to decline paying its debts and you overthrow all public morality - you unhinge all the principles that preserve the limits of free constitutions. Nothing can more affect national prosperity than a constant and systematic attention to extinguish the present debt and to avoid as much as possibly the incurring of any new debt.'"

Barton said Americans should also heed the words of fellow founding father, Thomas Jefferson.

"Perhaps no founding father was as forthright on this topic as Thomas Jefferson, who said, 'If the debt should be swelled to a formidable size, we shall be committed to the career of debt, corruption and rottenness. ... The discharge of the debt, therefore, is vital to the destinies of our government. The principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale. I ...place economy among the first and most important of republican virtues, and public debt as the greatest of the dangers to be feared.' Jefferson even wisely foresaw where America generally finds itself today, saying, 'I am not among those who fear the people. ... and to preserve their independence we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. We must make our election between economy frugality and liberty, or profusion excess spending and servitude.'

"Millions of citizens, following the example of America's early residents, have finally decided to draw a line and raise their voice against the government's exorbitant spending and exploding debt," Barton said. "On April 15, citizens at more than 1,000 locations across the country will be sponsoring tea parties."

It's hard to disagree with Hamilton or Jefferson - or even Barton, for that matter. And it's also hard not to be upset with lawmakers who voted for a $500 billion bill without even reading it. I watched as outraged members of Congress talked tough about the millions of dollars of AIG bonuses in a bill and said they'd tax them up to 100 percent - yet freely admitted they didn't know the bonuses part was in the bill.

But, hey, I guess that's the answer to everything these days, more taxes and more government spending - and less paying attention to what you're voting for.