Today on a morning show, Joe Biden said that it was time to be patriotic and pay taxes for those who make over 250K a year. I agree with Sen. Biden it is time for real patriotism, no more empty words about loving America. It is time for us to sacrifice for our Republic. John Locke wrote about the social contract between a citizen, the government and the government and the citizen. It is a two way street, we have a duty to our government just as much as they have a duty to us; this is the foundation of the contract. It is time to get back to philosophical basics that have been sadly lost in the past 8 or more years even.
After 9/11 we were told to go shopping, we eventually ended up in two wars and we were told to shop. We ask our young men and women to risk their lives on the battlefield and we were asked to sacrifice not at all. We did not pay higher taxes, we did not receive less government services, although they tried to kill Social Security, the many gave nothing while the few gave all they had. And we are still being told that tax cuts are coming for the middle class by Obama and for the upper class by McCain. Do I get a tax cut under Obama's plan yes I do. Do I particularly want one, no.
In the last eight years, my income has gone up because we have moved across the state twice to further my husbands career as a cog in county governments, but it doesn't feel like more. We still live paycheck to paycheck. We have also moved my mother in law, first closer to us and now finally in with us, we have taken responsibility for her medical bills as she has no insurance and isn't eligible for Social Security and Medicare yet. We are relatively young people caring for two generations,we have children as well,and we wouldn't mind a tax increase. Would it hurt? Yeppers, but it is our part of the social contract. It is our responsibility.
We are patriotic American's. We love our country and we don't mind supporting it. We don't mind sacrificing for it. We want the America of the past, the one where the safety net still existed. We want regulation. We also want the America of the future where my mother in law has health insurance and we don't live in fear of a sudden, expensive illness that we cannot pay. We don't mind paying taxes for this America. So today we are not asked to pay higher taxes by either candidate, but we would and I believe that many, even most, American's when it is put to them as a form of patriotism would mind too much either.
This is not the way to win an election; that I do understand, and I am not suggesting it as a campaign tactic (Higher taxes for all probably wouldn't work). But I do believe at our core Americans want America to be a great country and looked upon with respect. We have only to look back in history at the New Deal to see what we can accomplish as a country when faced with tough times; what we can sacrifice when called on and what a difference it can make.