Haven't you heard that argument from conservatives whenever you advocate raising taxes on the wealthy? They say "if you want to give all your money to the government, go right ahead! But don't force me to do it."
Whenever someone reasonably says we should raise taxes to deal with Republican debt-fueled spending, they come back with the above-mentioned stock answer. Republicans talk a good game on spending. But when they get power, they never follow through. This got me to thinking: How much money do people voluntarily give their government to reduce the debt?
According to the U.S. Treasury, total voluntary contributions towards reducing the U.S. Debt totaled just over $3 million dollars in 2009. That's about one penny per person. A penny.
I haven't heard one national Republican leader call on their followers to do their part on the issue they say is so important. So, I'm going to throw this back in the face of conservatives. This goes out to Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, Red State, Jim DeMint, and all the rest of you guys who seem to be in favor of voluntary contributions to reduce the national debt in lieu of taxation: Put your patriotism where your mouth is.
Here is the link to pay.gov where you can make a voluntary contribution towards reducing the national debt. You've got money to pay for Glenn Beck's merchandise. You've got money to book Sarah Palin for speeches. Put your big money where your big mouth is.
You say you're serious about reducing the national debt? Alright then, go ahead and reduce it.
Update:Dante Atkins points out to me that gifts to reduce the national debt are tax deductible as charitable contributions!