Grover Norquist Leads the Fight Against Taxes

I am a self-styled old school conservative (i.e., Teddy Roosevelt "Walk softly and carry a big stick") and I believe that a smaller government is a better government. Yes, I also believe that capitalist ideals, for the most part, will deliver an efficient model as long as the forces of competition are working. But the misconception that many Neoconservatives seem to run with is that all taxes are bad. No, not all taxes are bad. Some taxes are good, some are very good. And some taxes are bad, but very necessary (i.e., sin taxes, which tend to be regressive but discourage less than optimal behavior, such as cigarettes or alcohol).

But in today's government, the foxes are in the hen house. The forces of competition have been held in check by the interests of big business, allowing some of the largest companies in the world to circumvent protections set in place to allow for a more level playing field. And the loser, in the end, is the consumer and taxpayer.

And those men and women we elect into office are unable or unwilling to fight for the rights of the consumer and taxpayer. The money flowing from the coffers of big business has too much power over them. Those that do go to Washington with the ideal of cleaning up the system and running the moneychangers out of the temple either return home broken or become corrupted themselves.

Politics is about compromise, but lately, it is more about compromising your integrity to gain financial wealth or power in exchange for looking the other way. Who will be the statesman who will lead the charge against big business? Who will reign in their power and return that power back to the voters in this nation? Will we forever to be beholden to the thought the he who has the most money has the loudest voice? That's how it seems now.

Afell of TX 10:33AM March 11, 2010