Supports sales tax, borough divide

To the editor:

It’s always amusing to see people whine about taxation, while elected politicians increase spending to “protect” constituents or artificially raise public standard of living to gratify voters.

Get this. Limited government naturally needs less tax revenue to run. Limited government naturally means less goodies/handouts for people and businesses. The more dependent people and businesses are on government funding and services, the more government bureaucracy and regulations are needed to distribute this individual/corporate welfare. A government collects tax revenue, borrows funds, or manipulates currency/credit to match spending demands.

There are only three basic ways Americans can limit government and thus reduce forced contributions to government revenue.

1) They can voluntarily refuse government service or funding to their communities, states and nation — regardless of temptations and plausible emergencies.

2) They can faithfully enforce the Constitution’s 10th Amendment on federal state, and local governments. This limits government power/authority with only clear, broadly understood constitutional language. Currently, “implied” constitutional powers permit self-serving Constitution interpretations that proliferate government expenses.

3) They can replace centralized government services/funding with direct work, service and supply by internally supported community groups. See the historical examples of cooperative barn/house/public building “raising” by neighbors and concerned citizens.

I support breaking up the Mat-Su Borough because it has gradually perverted into an elected aristocracy that gratifies influential constituencies and mobs. Borough officials often innocently betray their oaths of office through an appalling ignorance of our political heritage. They mostly use lobbyists and force instead of citizen contributions and leadership.

I support a short-term borough sales tax. This is despite the current economic problems originating from corruptly making people dependent on government manipulations/funding for our standard of living. This corruption stems in turn from people’s selfishness and greed that politicians increasingly gratify to maintain their elected offices. Such civically immature people, who now avoid the work of maintaining citizen sovereignty, should at least pay a fairer share of the expense of our local standard of living. This is required until true community leadership increases direct citizen contributions — naturally limiting the need for government and taxes under its authority.

Stuart Thompson

Wasilla