Rodent Regatta

I Wouldn’t Grow Apples

by Craig J. Cantoni

Overhearing me complaining about taxes, my 12-year-old son said, ”Pretty soon they’ll start taxing trees.” I responded, ”Well, Chris, they already do. For instance, if you owned apple trees and sold the apples, you’d pay a tax.” He replied with the wisdom of a seventh-grader: ”Then I wouldn’t grow apples.”

Not wanting to discourage him from studying and trying to become a contributing member of society, I didn’t tell him about all of the taxes heading his way because of the profligate spending of today’s adults and their duly elected representatives—taxes that he will not avoid by not growing apples.

At least Chris won’t have to study indentured servitude in school, because he’ll experience it firsthand when he enters the work force and forks over more than half of his earnings to the government to pay for current government services plus the entitlement bills and deficit spending of the preceding generation. To compare, serfs in Medieval days forked over about a third of their crops and livestock to the Lord of the Manor.

It is said that the cost of liberty is high. But if it gets much more costly, we won’t be free. Over half of Bush’s huge increase in government spending has nothing to do with national security. Consider the following ghastly numbers:

– Current federal spending is $20,000 per household, the highest level since the Second World War, in constant 2003 dollars. On average, each household pays a whopping $16,780 in federal taxes, which leaves a deficit of $3,520 per household to be paid in the future. – The above numbers do not include state and local spending and the hidden cost of regulations. When those are added, the total cost of government is over $28,000 per household. – It is not surprising that the most socialized segments of the economy, health care and K-12 education, have seen the largest cost increases. Federal spending on education has increased 65 percent since 2001. Federal health spending has increased as follows: Medicaid, 24 percent; Medicare, 12 percent; and other health programs, 32 percent. The states have also seen huge increases in spending on health care and education. – When my son reaches the age of 39 and is earning, let’s say, $80,000 (in constant 2003 dollars), he will pay $12,240 in payroll taxes for Social Security and Medicare, assuming that today’s rate of 15.3 percent doesn’t increase. But it will increase, because he will have to pay an additional $3,980 per year just to cover the shortfall in Medicare bequeathed him by previous generations. That comes to $16,220 in total. – If Chris were to be allowed to keep the $16,220 and invest it, he would have a nest egg of $1,360,000 in 30 years, assuming an annual compound rate of return of 6 percent. If he were to earn a return of 10 percent, which is slightly less than the average return of the stock market over the last 30 years, his nest egg would be almost $3 million. – The NEA and AARP are two of the most powerful shakedown artists, er, lobbies, in the nation. If they remain powerful, my son will pay even more than what his mom and dad currently pay in tributes to the teacher union and seniors. – Chris said that he wouldn’t grow apples, but he may want to reconsider. Federal agricultural subsidies increased 76 percent over the last five years. Maybe the government will pay him to grow apples and let them rot on the ground. He could throw the rotton apples at greedy geezers, thieving teacher unions and plundering politicians.

As the foregoing shows, stealing has become as American as apple pie. Don’t tell my son or he may not want to do anything productive with his life.

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Mr. Cantoni is an author, columnist and founder of Honest Americans Against Legal Theft (HAALT). He can be reached at ccan2@aol.com