"Industry-Funded"

Where does the government get its money to buy stuff? Do you know? It seems most people don't. They just seem to think it's free money or they'll get it from business or industry.

Just like this article about Obama's recent idea to help the Christmas tree industry by taxing it fifteen cents a tree to help with marketing Christmas trees.

"The administration said it was not a tax, but an industry-funded fee that the industry supported for marketing purposes."

Industry funded? What does that even mean? The Christmas tree industry is going to pay a 15 cent tax per tree which would then be returned to them by the US Government so they can engage in better marketing? Does this idea make sense to anyone? First, just keep the fifteen cents and do your own marketing. Second, "industry funded"? Who are you kidding. We know who the funding will be, the people who buy the trees. But I guess if you tell people that it's the businesses paying it, then who cares what the new tax is.

Want more examples of this? I recently saw a flyer advocating for after-school learning for children. One of the statistics cited was

"4 out of 5 parents (80%) favor using state dollars to fund afterschool and summer learning programs."

Why not ask those same parents whether they feel they should pay out of their own pockets for afterschool and summer learning programs. Because why? Because it is the same money! They pay the taxes to the state which then makes their tax money into the "state dollars". We don't currently have these programs so to pay for them, we'd need to raise taxes! People often don't realize this. It's like they think the money just magically appears. Oh don't worry, the government will pay for it! People, YOU ARE THE GOVERNMENT!

If you want even further evidence of people having no idea that this "government money" is their own, look at the biennial bond referenda. In last year's statewide election, we only had three spending questions to look at, the Higher Education Facilities Bond, Transportation Bonds and the Open Space and Recreation Bonds. They all passed. The closest vote was for the first one, and it won by 11 points. The Transportation bond won by 47 points, maybe because of the campaign that said if we vote for that bill, the federal government will match the state funds. Federal money? That's more free money! Right? Wrong. It's more taxpayer money, it's just coming from a different pocket.

Hopefully someday people will wake up and see all this government money for what it is, the taxpayers' money. Every time there is fraud and waste in the government, that is our money being stolen and wasted. This isn't free money, it's our money.