stockvault_3003_20070301The national debt, yearly budget deficits, and the constant inability of the Federal Government to manage the country’s business in an optimal, responsible manner can all be fixed with a Presidential pen. This can be done with an amendment to the Constitution stating that in federal elections the vote shall be weighted according to the taxes paid by each individual that is voting. The more tax you pay, the more your vote will count in the elections. Additionally, this also means that if you do not pay federal taxes, your vote will not count. This puts all the right incentives in place that will begin our country on a path to fiscal responsibility that has been desperately needed for so long.

Let the bellowing begin. The arguments presented would focus on the view that it would be unjust that a citizen’s vote would not count. On the contrary, it seems more unjust that they have a voice in the decisions of operating a Government that they are not paying to support. That would be like expecting to vote on resolutions in a corporation in which you are not a shareholder. Why should a non-taxpaying citizen have a voice on who is elected and makes decisions such as how much tax everyone else should pay? It makes absolutely no sense. If “taxation without representation” is not acceptable, why then would “representation without taxation” be any more acceptable? This is not to suggest people will be living in a district that is unrepresented, just that they will not help decide who is representing it without paying taxes.

Another argument would be that the taxpayers would be tyrannical to the non-paying citizens and not care about their wellbeing. There is no reason to believe this would happen, again, I can refer to the corporate model. Many people can complain that corporations have been abusive, and I will agree that there are abuses as in everything in life. However, a vast amount of corporations across our country act as good citizens, and these companies are not making negative headlines that seem to be the norm. These corporations provide products and services, jobs, pay taxes, and donate generously to charitable causes on a regular basis. They realize there is an expectation for them to act as a responsible citizen in the society in which they reside by taking constructive measures to improve it, not use it as a platform of oppression.

The Federal Government will never make responsible and prudent decisions for the country as long as they continue to manage it for the benefit of a dependent class of people they are purposely creating. The more they can make the populace dependent on them, the more likely they will continue to be reelected to ensure the benefits will continue. By changing to a weighted vote as put forth, the Government will then be accountable to the ones paying the bills and not the ones getting paid. It is at that point the healing will begin with all the issues confronting our nation. Once under the scrutiny of the citizens paying for their existence, the decisions start taking on a new perspective, one that is focused on discipline and responsibility.

Members of our Government will have to start earning their right to be an elected official based on performance and not on buying votes from the dependent class. Also, this will have the added benefit of giving incentive for the non-paying citizens to begin paying taxes so they can have a voice too. Suddenly, something strange might begin happening, we may end up with a more fiscally responsible Government that is collecting more taxes to boot. The danger lies in not taking this action. Continuing to focus on the dependent class to secure votes will certainly drive our country toward bankruptcy that is being witnessed right now.