Crony Capitalism’s Legal Plunder
“Whether a man is a criminal or a public servant is purely a matter of perspective. …There is the (moral) code which he professes to live by, and there is the code to whose standards he actually does adhere.” ~Tom Robbins
“Government is not reason. It is not eloquence. It is a force, like fire: a dangerous servant and a terrible master”. ~George Washington
“The point to remember is that what the government gives it must first take away”. ~John S. Coleman, address, Detroit Chamber of Commerce, 1956
“To force a man to pay for the violation of his own liberty is indeed an addition of insult to injury”. ~Benjamin Tucker, Instead of a Book
I just paid my property tax bill for the piece of commercial property I own in Charlotte and it was about $1500 more than last year. Jennifer Roberts and 4 associates, bless their hearts, have deemed that I should pay more than I did last year. What am I to do? If I don’t pay, they send the police, with guns, to take my property away. Oh, they’ll say they don’t. The collectors abide in nice, taxpayer paid for, offices and make phone calls and send letters. They’ll finally send someone to your door, but if you still don’t pay, they’ll auction the property off to someone who will pay the tax bill and then send the police to force you to move. And if you oppose the police, well, they have guns and are happy to use them.
There is no protesting, it is a waste of time – see OccupyCharlotte. Electing representatives is a joke. After they get elected they represent those who collect and spend the taxes. Oh, I know, some of them don’t, but the majority almost always does and the majority has little concern, and less respect, for the minority than they do for dogs, which they’ll put you in jail for kicking.
Actually I don’t mind paying taxes, if the taxes are going to provide basic government services. It is when the money is wasted or goes to enhance some individual or special interest group that I have a problem; which is why I have a problem with my Charlotte/Mecklenburg tax bill.
Over the years, for decades now, Charlotte and Mecklenburg County have been spending money on things that we, the people, don’t need. We have spent hundreds of millions on building and rebuilding schools. How many are closed now? $50,000,000 more than necessary on the new courthouse. There is ImaginOn, the edifice to Hugh McColl’s pet politician, Joe Martin, which Mr. McColl made sure was built with tax money, before the interminably postponed death of that holier than thou tax and spender. The list goes on, and has yet to have any Charlotte projects listed. There is, of course, the convention center, the downtown NBA court, which seats fewer people than the one on Tyvola did. Skyboxes, personal, private seats, subsidized by tax payers are certainly not one of the things government should be doing with our tax money. And don’t forget rail-light. In all, we’re talking about billions being spent on unnecessary projects. All of which makes my tax bill about $3,000 per year higher than it would be otherwise.
But we, the taxpayers, are supposed to be happy, and pay peacefully, in full, on time, without stint.
Which brings me to the point of this tirade.
The beneficiaries of this largess is a very limited group of people. Some are employed by government and so get their taxpayer benefits as salary and retirement. But the others are, generally speaking, members of or associated with, the Chamber of Commerce. The fact is, when any of the aforementioned projects occurs only a few people or businesses benefit; the money lenders, the associated lawyers and architects, the real estate owners and agents, and the building industry. The average taxpayer gets nothing but increased taxes. This process, this state of government collusion with business, is called crony capitalism. It is a type of theft from the people to a select group, using the force of government as the collection agent.
Some weeks ago I wrote a piece deriding Mayor Foxx, what an apt name, and his trip to China, which was associated with the Chamber of Commerce. I got my facts wrong, saying Bob Morgan, the president of the chamber, was going, he wasn’t, which error was quickly pointed out, and I apologized, in some fashion, but not for the jest of the opinion piece.
Understand me here. Bob Morgan and I have known each other for decades. We have generally been cordial, even polite, going so far as to have a few beers together occasionally. But, me being slow, I finally had a rude awakening. James Davis wrote a piece for PunditHouse and it made me think: Are Conservatives really too nice? Why am I being nice to those who steal from me? So I wrote the piece and took Bob Morgan and the Chamber to task for their part in the collusion between government and the recipients of government largess.
Bob, bless his heart, took exception and took time out of his busy schedule to call me. He went on and on, taking issue with things I said. He told me if I had differences with chamber policy I should take these differences up privately with him. (Like that would make a difference.) He told me the chamber was doing nothing wrong. Well maybe not illegal but wrong is a perspective, which is the reason for the quotes at the beginning of this piece. Those who have and continue to receive from government must first have the government take from others. If this taking is not for basic government services, if it is for unnecessary uses, whose purpose is to enhance the pocketbook of the recipient, then it is stealing. And why, I now ask myself, have I been being nice to people who steal from me?
Finally, understand that I played the game for years. I was polite, went to meetings, believed I had input, but each time I thought something to help the taxpayers was being accomplished, some backroom negotiations occurred and so much for that idea. But it kept me trying and so my energy was misplaced.
While there are many who work for government who are honest, and are true public servants. They are not in control. The fact is our government, at every level, in too many of its associations, is a bastion for thieves. So as you pay your tax bill, realize it would be from 15% to 30% lower, except for the transfer payments to those on the receiving end of the crony capitalism arrangement. But it’s all legal. The question is: Does that make it right?
Happy New Year.
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