The following was abstracted from Richard Conniff's column, "Abolish All Taxes," that appeared in the New York Times yesterday. We liked it so much, we just had to make sure you read it.
It’s time to take a page from the conservative playbook, the one where
they reframe the debate by changing the language — for instance,
calling the “estate tax” a “death tax,” or making equal rights for
same-sex partners a “protection of marriage” issue. I propose we stop
saying “taxes” and start calling them “dues.”
So this will be an uphill struggle. But we need language to remind us
that this is our government, and that we thrive because of the schools
and transit systems and 10,000 other services that exist only because
we have joined together. Instead of denouncing taxes, politicians would
do better to appeal to the patriotic corners of our hearts that warm to
phrases like “we the people.” “Taxation” is a throwback to the time
when kings picked our pockets. “Paying my dues,” a phrase popularized
in the jazz music world, is language by which we can stand together as
Americans.
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