Why You Should Avoid the Phrase "Taxpayer Dollars"
It is simply incorrect
At the federal level, money is created as needed by Congressional
appropriations. When taxes are paid, the collected tax dollars
are deleted from the system.
It obscures the real purpose of taxes
Taxes are needed to cycle dollars back out of the economic
system. The "taxpayer dollars" concept pushes people into
thinking
that the rich contribute more, when in fact they should be paying more.
It leads to "scarcity and deficit" mentality
The federal debt is not the frightening specter it is made out to
be — it is simply an accounting total. When wars and bailouts are
funded, the "deficit" is forgotten about. When healthcare and
education are proposed, the refrain is, "How are you going to pay for
that?"
Why is this important? Isn't it just semantics?
- Federal spending and and taxation are massively powerful
instruments. Understanding how they operate and who is
benefiting is crucial to achieving positive change.
If not "taxpayer dollars" then what should we say?
- Good
alternatives are "federal dollars", "our money" and "government
spending".
Remember: Those dollars belong to all of us.
Here's my conversation with Sabby Sabs
about the phrase "Taxpayer Dollars":
See here for a video with EricT & Cory on this topic:
