April 15th is known as “Tax Day” in the United States because our Federal and State Income tax returns are due on that day. It is a tradition for US citizens to complain and grumble about taxes, but I propose another perspective.
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Preamble to the United States Constitution
In the United States our government represents, and is accountable to, the voice of the people (at least theoretically). We the people expect, even insist, that the government, our collective organization, provide a wide range of services for us. These services take time and require money to provide, yet we begrudge the costs as if we deserve the services for free.
I get angry when I hear people refer to taxes as “theft” or claim that the government takes “our” money “by force.” There would be no money without the US Treasury and Mint. There would be no markets without the laws and regulations provided by government. Without law we would have anarchy. Without government regulations our food would not be safe, our air and water would be poisonous, and our jobs, cars, and homes would be dangerous.
Render therefore unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.
Matthew 22:21
I am very grateful for government services. Some, like police and fire protection, I hope to never need, but it is comforting to know that they are available. When these services are needed, they are needed immediately and desperately.
Some government services, like safe roads and safe drinking water, are so ubiquitous, we don’t even think of them as government services. We just take them for granted.
Some services are an important part of our daily lives. Public education, the Postal Service, broadcast radio and television, the internet, traffic control, weather forecasting, and food safety are all made possible by government agencies.
We believe that governments were instituted of God for the benefit of man.
Doctrine and Covenants 134:1
Many of the products and services that we now enjoy from private industry were originally created, tested, and refined in government laboratories. For example, we wouldn’t have our microwave ovens if not for NASA and the space program.
Some of the most important government services are invisible. Control of disease outbreaks, the interdiction of potential terrorists, and the monitoring of dangerous nuclear materials around the world, for example, are all done by government employees who remain out of sight. These unsung heroes have quite possibly saved my life without me even knowing about it.
Finally, I am grateful that the government uses tax money to feed people and provide them with shelter and health care. I can never predict when I, or someone I care about, might need government help with those needs. That’s why those programs are called the “Safety Net.”
So, on Tax Day, stop and think about all the things you are getting for your money. I believe you will find that we are getting a pretty good deal. I just wish the wealthy, and the giant corporations, were paying their fair share….
Amen.
So true.
I agree. There are somethings that we can’t do alone and we need a good government to lead the way. The Interstate System is just one example. There are and could be so many other examples.