"But the government will pay for it"

How often have you heard idiots say that?

Tonight I was telling Chas and Andy about how our new $25 million airport terminal is already falling to pieces. The old terminal was under-utilized (2 planes a day from Portland) but, no, we had to have a new terminal. Most of the locals are not upset because, as the saying goes: "We didn't pay for it; the government paid for it."

I said to Chas and Andy: "Who the hell is the government? It's us. We paid for it."

Chas piped up with an astute obervation: "Maybe most people think like that because 40% don't pay any taxes."

It's true: the bottom 40% of Americans pays no taxes so of course they think the "government pays for everything."

I know a poll tax has been ruled unconstitutional but sometimes I think that there needs to be some form of minimum tax just to ensure that everyone realizes who's actually paying to run the government.