You hear quite often it’s your civic duty to vote and we have multitudes of organizations conducting voter registration drives to get people to vote. All in the hopes we can increase participation in the democratic process. I would agree, but I would like to clarify – It is your civic duty to vote…only if you’re educated about the issues and the candidates.
There is nothing more damaging to a democratic society than an uninformed voter. “Why would that be? Isn’t more people participating in the process good.” No. I look at it like this: I only want people who know what they’re doing working on my house rather a number of people who just participating in the process. I don’t want the end result of what my house would look like and neither do I want the end result of what my country would look like. Actually, the country would look much like it looks today because when you have the uninformed voting, they are not voting with their heads, but rather their hearts.
Let’s take our President’s recent comments regarding taxing those who make more than $250k which is about 2% of the country. There are those in the other 98%, some of which will vote this year, who will say, “I live on much less, so should they.” They will honestly think there should be higher taxes on the top 2% because it will make life more “fair”. This is an emotional argument and is not based in reality.
Let’s put aside for the moment – to take more from one segment of the population is immoral. The same people who think taxing others will make their own lives better are the same people are hurt by those taxes. Unless the person being taxed does not purchase or sell goods in our, now global, economy; a tax on one of us, is a tax on all of us. Meaning, whether or not we make $250k, if taxes are raised on the top 2%, we will ALL feel it.
Let’s take the 80% or so of those in the 2% who are business owners. What happens when their taxes (Overhead) increases? Do they just absorb the tax for the rest of us and make less profit; or, do they pass it on? (Here lies the problem because this is as far as the uninformed get. They don’t actually think there will be any other consequences beyond the 2% absorbing a tax for the rest of us.) Of course they pass it on through: higher prices which causes our dollars to be worth less, depressed wages for the employees, or fewer employees. These issues are compounded and multiplied throughout the economy which causes strain and doesnt’ allow for growth and we need growth for jobs. Seems simple doesn’t it?
What about the other 20% or so of the 2% who are, for the sake of argument, a bunch of rich people who just make a lot in their careers? They don’t need the money do they? Again, it’s not for us to judge how much money somebody needs, but we need for them to have it more than we need the government to have it. Disposable income helps to drive the economy and guess what. You know all those cell phones, big screen tv’s, computers, microwaves, washer & dryers, etc? They were unaffordable to most of us until those mean, rich people bought them to encourage more supply which brought down the prices for the rest of us. We couldn’t afford our modern conveniences without them.
That’s why everyone who votes should be informed and take Econ 101. Go to library, pick up a big…I promise you’ll thank me.
Until voters think through the consequences of their actions, we’ll always be fighting this battle.
