Whose Money Is It, Anyway?
June 10, 2008
In one of Barack Obama’s recent stump speeches, Obama made the following remark about John McCain’s platform:
“At a time when we’re fighting two wars, when millions of Americans can’t afford their medical bills or their tuition bills, when we’re paying more than $4 a gallon for gas, the man who rails against government spending wants to spend $1.2 billion on a tax break for Exxon Mobil. That isn’t just irresponsible. It’s outrageous.”
Obama’s point of view that a $1.2 billion tax break is an expense rather than a savings is fairly typical of big-party politics these days, especially on the political left. How exactly does that work? Why should a tax break be seen as an expense on the government’s behalf rather than money left in the hands of those who earned it? He’s talking about a tax break, after all. He never mentioned a rebate.
Whose money is it, anyway?
