Dear Editor:
We here in Missouri currently have a great opportunity. It appears that there are a significant number of people who want government to provide more services, or at least not reduce any of the mountain of additional services that have been added over the past 50 years. We have the opportunity to lead the way by providing and funding, these services on the state level, rather than continue the current despicable practice of funding them by piling more national debt on future generations.
Rather than protesting that the ever-accelerating, debt-fueled, federal gravy train may slow down, why not contact state legislators and inform them that you will work to help pass state tax increases, to fund these services at the state level. Perhaps with enough pressure, state legislators would put an initiative on the ballot. Missourians are compassionate, intelligent people who can make good decisions about what programs they want to fund.
Missouri collected $2.15 billion in sales/use taxes last year. Every 1 percent the sales/use tax is raised would generate about $500 million to fund these programs.
It should be a relatively easy process to decide on the level of funding that would be considered reasonable and then determine how much of a sales tax increase was necessary to fund that level of service. Everyone should have some "skin in the game," funding the programs with a sales tax increase would be the most transparent and "fair" system. The sales tax increase would not be applied on food or housing purchases. It would be "progressive" because rich people spend a lot more than poor people.
There is no magic money tree in DC, but there are far to many politicians willing to support debt funded giveaways, to insure their re-election.