May 23, 2003
		The Communists at the local paper are apoplectic at the thought that taxpayers might get some modicum of relief from the government.  Any reduction is seen as a give-away to the rich, whatever that term means.  Of course, they never mention who earned the money to begin with, or that half the stinking people in this country don't pay a dime in income taxes.  Not good enough for the Commies.  Everything must be free and plentiful.  Only enlightened liberals know how to create this heaven on earth.  My rebuttal to their objection follows.
	Your opinion of the federal tax reduction is only the latest in an endless series of deceptions about wealth, how it is produced, and who owns it.  Further, you insist on hiding your intentions in fuzzy terms like "fairness" and "equality" without defining what these terms mean or how they could be realized outside the comfy confines of the Mercury Newsroom.  In short, your editorial board is engaged in a daily demonstration of intellectual dishonesty. Let me help by translating your opinions into rules people can understand: Rule #1: There is no such thing as private property.  What you earn is not really yours. Rule #2: "Rich" people are evil; poor people are noble.  We get to determine who is rich depending on the circumstances. Rule #3: The government can spend as much of someone else's money as long as we think it's for a "good" cause.  We get to determine that term too, and to hell with the Constitution.    Rule #4: If your values and priorities about your property conflict with our judgment about its use, shut up and pay up.  See Rules 1-3.