Yes, I’m mad. I am mad as hell. We have $20 trillion of national debt. On top of that, we run a $600 billion annual shortfall, piling more debt on top of debt. Our government representatives preach that this is unsustainable and thus refuse to fund the CHIP program, which provides healthcare tor 9 million children. Our elected officials maneuver to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, effectively denying another 23 million Americans their right to affordable healthcare. Then, the government of the people passes a $1.5 trillion tax-cut for the wealthy and for corporations. This is a $1.5 trillion gift to the privileged at a time when so many Americans are in need of assistance. Yes, I am mad, I am mad as hell, and I am not going to take it anymore.
I could ask you too, to go to the window and shout out as loud as you can, “I am mad and I am not going to take it anymore,” but honestly, protests such as this have yielded little results. I have a better plan. We are going to shut the government down.
Over the past few years, we have seen the Democrats or the Republicans hold the government hostage as the annual budget must be renewed, or as the government’s total debt approaches the debt ceiling limit specified in the current law. The party out of power then uses this imminent crisis as leverage to get some additional “pork” programs for their districts or to cut taxes for their wealthy supporters, when it is clear these policies are for the benefit of a targeted few.
It is now our turn to hold the government hostage to the will of the people. A government shutdown is the ultimate threat and the tactic that always gets immediate results. Our government cannot run without our tax dollars. What if we collectively refuse to pay our taxes? On January 26, 2018, there is planned The People’s March on Washington. At that rally, let us announce that no one in this country pay their 2017 taxes. That is correct — a “tax holiday” for all those feeling disenfranchised from the policies of our current government. That is correct – DO NOT PAY YOUR 2017 TAXES. I am not sure our representative government is currently working for the majority of people, so it is time that the people make their demands directly to the government. Only the threat of a total government shutdown will get everyone’s attention. Therefore, I suggest we pay no taxes until the demands below are met:
- Repeal of the the new tax law passed at the end of 2017
- Provide funding for CHIP immediately
- Restore the original ACA and add a public option to the program
- Pass a new $1 trillion infrastructure bill that hires millions of Americans
- Force Donald Trump to release his tax returns to the public
If we can throw tea overboard and bring down a nation, then we can stop paying taxes and create a new government that is responsive and focused on improving the lives of the vast majority of its citizens with programs and policies that will in fact make our country “Great” again. I am not going to stand idly by and watch this government become a government focused on serving a selected few. No taxation without fair and equal representation.
H O W A R D S B E N D 