Consider an 11 year old boy who gets invited by his friend to go watch a new movie that has just come out. Everyone that he has talked to says it’s a great show. He asks his parents if he can go Saturday evening. They inform him that he will be allowed to go if he has his chores done and if he has earned the money. So he spends his time throughout the day getting chores done and asking for additional jobs to earn the $7.00 that it will cost for the movie ticket. The time finally arrives to go to the movie and he eagerly heads off to the show.
Upon arriving at the front doors of the theater however, he is met by an unpleasant surprise. A 13 year old boy he knows is standing in front of the door and demands money for popcorn. “Give it or else…” he says. All of a sudden the reason for his hard work just changed.
What does this analogy have to do with taxes? Try skipping your upcoming property tax bill on your home even for just a few days past the deadline and find out. The action of government is not kindness or charity, it is brute force especially where taxes are concerned. Taxes are the lifeblood of government. Without taxes there would cease to be a military force, a police force, a public works department, inspection services, city sponsored athletics and swimming pools, public schools, government housing, government sponsored welfare and the list goes on - endlessly almost. Is there any area where the government should not have its fingers?
The US Constitution authorizes congress to levy taxes for certain specific reasons, providing for the commmon defense being chief among them. Whenever congress exceeds those specifc reasons it violates the contract agreed upon by the people. And the brute force of government changes from the protector to the bully.
What does the Constitution describe regarding arts and entertainment? It authorizes congress to protect art and science BY (emphasis added) protecting the rights of the work or invention for the creator. In other words it is protecting the work from a bully or thief, so the creator doesn't lose all incentive to create. The Constitution doesn't, however, authorize taxes to be levied to fund a new and upcoming artist or scientist. Inherent in the limited authority of the federal government is recognized the value of arts and science, but not the proactive funding by the government.
Local governments are not under the same legal limits that the federal government is, but shouldn't the same principles be followed on a local level as well as on a federal? Although we all love the arts and appreciate entertainment, should we have the goverment, by brute force collecting taxes to fund them? What actually happens with the RAMP tax is the money is collected into a large fund and a portion is immediately lost to administrative costs, then the rest is divied up to various groups and organizations, some of which wouldn't pass the critical funding eye of the local municipality. The municipaliity might have said, "If you get the grant, great, If not, well we don't really need that item anyway, but it would be nice.." In other words by passing the RAMP tax money is allocated, by brute force, to items which may not be critical. Nice? Probably. Fun? Most likely. Essential to the proper function of our government? Almost definately not.
By having taxes levied for recreation, art, museum and parks (RAMP) we are forcing every young family, every widow, every senior citizen on a fixed budget, everyone who shops, to fund non-essential government activities. I believe this is abuse of proper government. A vote against the continuation of the RAMP tax in Weber County will be a step in the right direction to limit our local government to its proper role.
