Pro-Tax Conservative The title is something of a misnomer, because I'm not actually pro-tax at all, as the term is usually

used. I am a tax paying citizen and I hate seeing my hard-earned money go to a government that I know is going to funnel it towards wars that I don't support (Libya) and to prop up a broken medical system via Medicare and Medicaid. I believe that taxes should be low. I believe that people should be allowed to live their lives with as little government interference is necessary. Taxes should be reduced when possible to reasonable and sustainable levels. So far I do not sound very pro-tax, as in fact I am not. However, I am not anti-tax either. Today's GOP has coalesced around an orthodoxy that seems to view its primary purpose to be the reduction of taxes and the zealous safeguarding against the increase of tax rates in any way, shape, or form. Newly elected Republicans to Congress have been asked for years to make a pledge not to support any increases in taxation, and the vast majority do so. Of late the news media have been kept quite busy covering the results of this pledge as Republicans in Congress have been resolute in upholding it. As far as I know, Republicans en masse are not asked to make any other kind of pledge besides their oath of office. As such, to be men and women of their word, whenever any other proposal comes in conflict with their vow not to raise taxes, they must resist that other proposition, whatever it may be. The vast majority of incoming Republicans are not asked to vow to support pro-life measures. The vast majority of incoming Republicans are not asked to vow to protect Pentagon funding. The vast majority of incoming Republicans are not asked to vow to vote down all legislation that would increase the federal deficit. I am not pro-tax, but to compare myself to the current Republican majority in the House of Representatives, I appear quite pro-tax indeed. Because I have not sworn to resist any and all efforts to increase taxation and I do not believe that low taxes should be the most important objective of a conservative lawmaker. And I will go further. Given the spending crisis we find ourselves in today, I believe taxes need to be raised. First on the wealthy, and then, in all likelihood, once the economy improves, upon the middle class. The poor alone I leave out, since their contributions would be negligible and would be far more onerous to them than to others. That is not to say that I believeas liberals and Democrats delude themselvesthat we can resolve our spending crisis with additional revenue alone. The entire Federal Budget must be reviewed with a very critical eye, and cuts must be made to everything. For 2012, revenue is projected to be $2.6 trillion. Expenditures are projected to be $3.7 trillion. Leaving a deficit of $1.1 trillion. To put that enormous sum in perspective, consider this. The United States' military spending is 40% of the military spending of the entire world. The US spends six times as much as its nearest competitor, China. In fact, it spends more than the next twenty highest spenders combined. The United States spends a vast amount of money on its military. If we were to fire all of our soldiers and officers and abandon all of our basesin other words, if we were to stop spending a dime on our military and strike all national defense expenditures from our budget, we would still run a national deficit of $400 billion, putting another trillion into our national debt every three years. We cannot cut our way to a balanced budget. We cannot tax our way to a balanced budget either. To get our nation's finances in order, the only reasonable method is to both increase revenue and decrease expenditures. It's often said by Republicans that the problem with our deficit is a spending problem, not a revenue problem. But that's ridiculous. The deficit is the result of an equation: Revenues - Expenditures. If the result is positive, it's called a surplus. If negative, a deficit. If zero, balanced. Anyone who says that the problem is that Expenditures are

too high can be easily and validly countered by someone who says the problem is that Revenues are too low. The best answer is just to say that they're not equal and they must be made so. We create our philosophies assuming certain ideal conditions, but real life sometimes makes those ideals hard to attain. Philosophically I am opposed to higher taxes and believe government should be fairly light on the shoulders of its citizens. Today, however, I believe we are at a moment in time that demands unpleasant action. Some ills are worse than others, and the federal deficit is the greatest challenge facing the nation today. I oppose raising taxes, but I oppose an out of control deficit more, and unfortunately in this case taxes are one of the bitter tonics we must swallow. And so I am a Pro-Tax Conservative.