Government of the money, by the money, for the money

The first thing that comes to mind when I hear the anti-tax spiel is "make a list of things that taxes pay for." Taxes make the American lifestyle possible. Taxes are a part of the responsibility of living in a civilized society.
 
Grover Norquist, an anti-tax activist, is a key figure behind the anti-tax movement, a cornerstone of the conservative agenda. He confided that his goal was to take America back to what it was "until Theodore Roosevelt, when the Socialists took over, the income tax, the death tax, regulation, all that." That would take us back to the gilded age, child labor (no labor laws), no FDA, no Social Security, debtor prisons, slavery, what a wonderful world. For a mild peek at this,  read or watch the video " Grapes of Wrath" or Woody Guthrie's video.
 
The tax rate in the 1970s was 70percent, 50  percent after Reagan's tax cuts, 39.6 percent under Clinton. Some things the Tea Party (Grover Norquist idea) did not mention was loopholes in the tax system. Hedge fund managers taxed at capital gains rates of 15 percent instead of 35 percent. Corporations drug companies, in particular, shift recorded profits to low tax jurisdictions overseas, costing billions.

Tax avoidance by multinationals is estimated to be about $50 billion a year. The reasons those things are not mentioned is that's a part of the status quo that they do not want changed.
 
In the Quay County Sun's article about the April 15 protest at Kvols Park, I agree with Bill Menges, who said:  "What needs to happen is we get back to government of the people, by the people, for the people."

Special interest money plays far too big a role in our government. Just substitute "money" for "people" in that quote, that is what we have now.
 
Leon Logan
Tucumcari