Freedoms Are Not Free

What is the most despised word in April?  Taxes! 

In fact, have you ever met anyone who speaks positively about them? We loathe paying them. We attempt to get out of paying them at every turn. We hire lawyers and tax accountants to shield us from them. We argue “Why pay taxes, we live in a free country!” Yes, we do live in a free county based on the simple fact, we have liberties. Yet, who pays for our liberties? 

When we do pay taxes, we complain they are too high. To top it off, taxes are associated with death more than any other word in the English language. If you think about it, what exactly do you get from this vile five-letter word?  

The most obvious evidence is potholes – an almost daily indication taxes are not keeping up with the demand. Then there are the roads the potholes are on. One mile of a new road costs roughly $1 million. We do love our cars and cars need roads to drive on.  

Even clean air demands funding. Power plants and chemical factories inspected regularly by government workers are paid by, you guessed it, our taxes.  Accessible clean water requires funding from our taxes too. Money goes from our pockets to the government to make sure polluters refrain from contaminating our air and water and the cost is in the billions. Billions of tax dollars that is. The government’s contract with its citizens’ physical and financial security is funded by our taxes. Why do you think Social Security and the Department of Defense exist?      

Those who serve and protect us, those who are at an emergency incident within seven minutes and those who keep us alive are all funded by our five-letter despicable word. We pay for our firefighters, EMTs, paramedics, police officers and medical providers to service us. Even our public and private education systems are funded by our property taxes.  Our city managers, our city clerks, and our elected officials require salaries funded by, yes, our taxes.

Speaking plainly, our entire government is funded by our taxes however, would we have a government without taxes? My guess is not. 

Of course we could self-govern. What was there before our county was a country? It was a lot of country. We lived through the Neanderthal period. We survived. We even thrived, yet it was a bit barbaric at times. In fact, you can argue government has made our lives worse. However, I am not making that argument now.     

Taxes make our lives better, safer and freer. Without them, we have no government, without government, we have no laws and without laws we have no liberties. Taxes pay for us to have a country of laws and laws dictate our liberties. Freedoms are not free. Taxes pay for our freedoms. So be the best American you can be and pay your share of taxes. Your freedoms depend on it.

Farmer Banks Helfrich teaches gardening and farming on his seven-acre farm in north Clermont. Farm tours are every 2nd Sunday. Call Farmer Banks for more information. (407) 616-9720