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| | === Transcript === | | === Transcript === |
| − | "Nothing is certain but death and taxes." That's an old truism, but that ends the comparison between the two. The death rates going down tax rates are going up.
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| − | A few years ago in California, we tried to persuade the citizens to establish a limit on the percent of earnings our state government could take from them in taxes. Last year, the same attempt was made in Michigan. In both cases, the proposal was defeated. Those who mounted opposition to the idea were as you might expect, groups who gain their livelihood from tax dollars: public employees, teachers federations and special interest groups enjoying tax subsidies.
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| − | In both states they resorted a falsehood to win. I know that sounds blunt, but it's absolutely true. They were successful in convincing the voters that somehow government would, in spite of the limit, end up getting more in taxes not less and that was a lie. Maybe a percentage limit on taxes is an idea that has to be around for a while before it's really understood enough to make the lies ineffective. Stop and think about it for a moment, our family budgets are based on spending limitations. We know generally what percentage of our income we can afford for rent or mortgage payments, what has to be set aside for food and household expenses, what percentage can go for savings or insurance. Why shouldn't we collectively decide what percentage we can afford to spend
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| − | for government?
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| − | It is currently the biggest single cost item in the family budget and it's increasing faster than anything else we buy. In 1930, total government costs were only 10% of our earnings. by 1950, the figure had gone up to 25.8%. By 1975 and I suppose its about the same today, it had reached 44%. 44 cents out of every dollar earned. Government's only source of revenue was about 70 million Americans working, earning and paying taxes. These are the people employed in private business and industry. Yes government employees also pay taxes but their dollars first had to be taken from the seventy million. Next year, governments in the United States, federal, state and local, will cost $715 billion. Two-thirds for Uncle Sam, one-third for the states, counties and cities. That prorates out to $10215 for each one of you who is employed in the private sector.
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| − | Out of the California and Michigan efforts has come a national tax limitation committee located in Briarcliff Manor, New York. One of the leaders is William Rickenbacker, the economist and another is Lewis Uhler, who was part of our effort in California. They've authored a study called, "A Taxpayer's Guide To Survival." The address is National Tax Limitation Committee Box 1000 Briarcliff Manor, New York, so don't write to me or this station.
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| − | There really is only one way to stop the ever increasing percentage of our earnings taken by government. First, determine what we can afford to spend on government, then fix that percentage into law. No one knows better than the bureaucrat himself where the useless fat is in his department. Faced with the possibility of his whole program being closed down, he'll eliminate the fat in order to stay in business.
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| − | This is Ronald Reagan.
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| − | Thanks for listening.
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