“Yesterday, Paul Krugman, who very much would like other people to pay more in taxes, noticed that State and local governments are shutting off their street lights and turning their asphalt roads back to gravel or dirt because of budget problems. These street lights and roads were built when taxes were much lower and when populations were smaller. How did they afford it? The answer is that they focused on these items rather than on income redistribution which represents the bulk of government spending now. New Jersey is another good example. When I moved to New York in 1973, New Jersey had no income tax. Now it has the nation’s highest state income tax. Despite that, New Jersey’s budget situation is among the worst in the nation. Why? Higher taxes do not solve budget problems, they exacerbate them. Government spending is hostage to the tyranny of the majority. This, btw, is why we have a constitution. And it worked for awhile, all the way up to Wilson, or Roosevelt.”
- The Dad
