QotD "First, we need to bust down that old conservative trope that
tax money is always wasted. The conservatives originally sold
themselves as the party of prudent, business-like management of the
public purse, contrasting themselves to 'tax-and-spend liberals' (an
accusation that finally seems to be dying a painful and ironic death).
But if they actually were running this country as you'd run a
business, they'd be taking that revenue and looking for the best
possible investment. And, since the beginning of the nation, the best
investments we've ever made have been those made directly in the
American people themselves.
"Invest in a school, and over the course of the next several
decades, you'll get tens of thousands of literate, creative workers .
a few of whom will go forth and transform the world, and the rest of
whom will do well, pay taxes, obey the law and contribute to the life
of their communities. Invest in housing, and you put more families on
the road to accumulating middle-class wealth, which will make a
difference for generations. Invest in transportation and
communication, and you streamline commerce for the next 50 years.
Invest in new technologies, and you seed new industries that will
create jobs and generate tax revenue -- which can be invested again
for even further prosperity. Invest in a GI Bill, and you get the
Greatest Generation, and the postwar boom they created."
-- Sara Robinson,
"Stealing Our Future II: Democracy, Fear, and the War on the Middle
Class", 2008-01-31