The Middle-Income Taxpayer needs a Champion

The bottom-line is this: the middle-income American taxpayer needs a champion and so far, no such champion has actually toed-the-line.

Courtesy: Pew Research Center

(HARRISVILLE, N.H.) - It seems that for almost every cause there is a politician or group of politicians to carry its banner. The environment, illegal immigrants, abortion rights, right to life, offshore drilling, failing banks, failing corporations, low-income families, the unemployed, and healthcare (just to name a few) all have their champions. Most causes are based on perceived needs (real or otherwise).

Support for these causes usually begins when the wheels on their respective bandwagons begin to squeak. The louder and more frequent the squeak, the greater the support. Political correctness also plays a major role in determining which causes get the most support. This is not to say that any of these causes are not valid because most (if not all) of them have at least some valid basis. However . . . you will notice that I said “almost every cause”.

Some causes seem to get considerable lip service from politicians but little true support. The most obvious of these is the plight of the middle-income taxpayer. Politician after politician, from both sides of the political aisle make promises during their respective campaigns, to give relief to the middle-income taxpayer. All too often, this is where it ends . . . with promises. The average politician realizes that the low-income taxpayer simply does not have the money to fund the special-interest oriented projects that are the life-blood of most (if not all) politicians. These politicians also know that the truly high-income taxpayer can afford to protect the majority of their income in one or more various legal tax shelters. This leaves the middle-income taxpayer as the only viable funding option for all of the other “truly deserving” causes.

The end-results of this constant dipping into the pocket of the middle-income taxpayer are as follows:

(1) Less and less of the middle-income taxpayer’s income is disposable.

(2) The impetus for working harder is diminished and consequently, self-actualization is less often achieved.

(3) Eventually the government hand that so frequently dips into the middle-income taxpayer’s pocket finds that only pocket-lint remains.

None of these end-results will make for a stronger America. Nor will they improve our stature in the eyes of our global neighbors. So why then do politicians continue down this path? Can it be that politicians suffer from term-based shortsightedness? To many politicians, any goal that cannot be achieved within their elected term is not worth striving for, because in their view, it probably will not get them additional votes during the next election. You may ask “Why don’t they set goals based on what is good for their city, state, or country?” Well, that is an excellent question and probably one we should all be asking!

The bottom-line is this: the middle-income American taxpayer needs a champion and so far, no such champion has actually toed-the-line. Until one does, the middle-income taxpayer will continually carry special-interest knuckle bruises on his or her face!