Laden with Taxes

Congress is currently drafting and considering a bill that will give the government control of health care delivery and will also cost a lot of money to execute. In reference to the bill, I was asked this question by one of my nephews:

I wonder what freedom of any real significance do you stand to lose from this bill?

After giving thoughtful consideration to the question, this was my answer:

I suppose it's a matter of perspective. In my world (my perspective) there are 7 people I provide for. So there is quite a bit of significant freedom I lose. Each time I am forced to give up (at the threat of going to prison) a dollar which I've earned by the 'sweat of my brow' I lose some freedom.

To illustrate, imagine that tomorrow you suddenly became the owner of 5 apartment complexes that generate monthly cash flow of $10,000 each. For the rest of your life you will be earning $50,000 a month without having to lift a finger since other people run the business. You would suddenly be able to choose to do whatever you wanted. You might still choose to go to law school and then go work for a law firm or whatever you currently are planning on doing. But here is the point, you would have the freedom to make other choices like serving missions or writing books. Whatever your passion is, you would be free to choose.

I'm trying to illustrate that there is a direct correlation between your ability to do what you choose with your money and the freedom that you have. Each time someone takes away a dollar from you by force you lose a little freedom. So the more money taken from you, the more freedom you lose. I hope this makes sense.

King Benjamin said that he labored with his own hands so the people wouldn't be laden with taxes. To be laden is to have a load or burden put on. He wanted his people to not have that burden so he ran his government in a way to keep the people free from that burden.

Your length of time as a provider for your family has been short but hopefully enough that you feel the weight of the responsibility to a degree that these principles make sense to you.

Consider all the work you have put in to teaching swimming lessons this summer. Instead of sitting around, you've busted your bum to provide a value to the children you teach. In exchange for that value, they have paid you money. The money is just a symbol of the value you provided to them, it reflects how they feel about what you've done, and it's paid well.

Now, you are free to choose what to do with that money. You will use it however you want, whatever makes the most sense to you and Kaity. But if I forced you to give 50% of that money to me so now I control the money, would you lose some freedom? Clearly you would.

Please seriously consider this. What are you planning to do with the money? Now someone forces you to give up half of it, what changes will you need to make from your original plan? Do you see how for every dollar you are forced to give up you lose some of your freedom?

So that's the principle -- the more you are taxed the more freedom you lose. How you apply that principle to your beliefs defines who you are and what you stand for or against.

As I mentioned in my earlier email, I value freedom and liberty over security and that defines what I stand for and against.

- Mosiah 2:14