Tax relief for the rich

In my nightmare a bus with an enraged driver, gripped by some infernal doctrine, speeds toward startled pedestrians and cyclists. Hurrah, an obstacle appears, the bus collides and stops, and the people are saved! Alas, the bus starts forward again, and lurches toward other innocents!

Struggling to awaken from this hideous dream, I notice that the bus’s destination sign has changed from “Health Care Reform” to “Tax Reform.” The bus is Congress, the driver is our disruptor-in-chief, and the infernal doctrine is a fantasy of unrestricted personal freedom in a world where moral issues are decided by market forces.

Coming to my senses, I remember that while government may be good or bad (depending on who is in control), it is essential for our survival. There can be no government without taxation, so although taxes can be good or bad (depending on who is paying), they are also essential. And, of course, the essence of government is struggle and compromise over control and payment.

I call on Rep. McMorris Rodgers to wake from her libertarian dream, to rethink her assumptions and to work for actual tax reform rather than a trickle-down fantasy of relief for the rich.

William Siems

Spokane