One of the things that really illustrates the dangerous level of ignorance in the American population is the statement, “I’m not interested in politics.”
This statement astounds me. Do you really understand what you’re saying? How in the world can any aware person interested in one’s family and one’s future not be interested in politics?
To be sure, the talk radio business has plenty of consultants who hammer into our heads the idea that listeners don’t want to talk about politics. And, of course, we’re told constantly that a good way to become a social outcast is to try to discuss politics or religion with your friends.
Well, religion I can see. I seem to have a penchant for getting in trouble for discussing religion on the air. I should know better.
But politics? Sorry. That’s one subject I cannot ignore.
Look at what we average Americans go through as we work our way through our daily existence. We’re looking for jobs, working, planning for the future, educating children, making house payments, buying groceries, fueling up cars, planning family vacations, worrying about our health, paying down our debt, and watching Desperate Housewives.
If you think politics doesn’t influence each and every one of these pursuits, you’re tragically mistaken. No matter what you do, from tying your shoes to tying the knot to tying one on, politics is lurking in there somewhere, making things better or worse.
Perhaps the biggest impact politics will have on your daily life will be in the area of taxes.
Are you trying to save money for a house right now? Well, how much money do you have left over after taxes, Social Security, and Medicare are taken out of your check?
If you’re part of a typical two-parent American household, both of you are out there working; your children are probably in day care, being taken care of by relatives, at school, or just running wild.
Do the math.
No, really, do the math. Write down the take-home pay of each parent, and then look at the total tax burden your family pays each year.
In determining that tax burden, remember to include not just federal income taxes, Social Security taxes, and Medicare taxes, but also state income taxes, automobile license fees, property taxes, school taxes, sales taxes—and don’t forget the embedded taxes in the cost of every item you buy.
It’s tough, but try to come to some sort of a figure. What is your family’s total tax burden?
Once you have a figure, take a look at the take-home pay for the spouse who earns less money—usually the wife—and if I’m not mistaken, you’ll come to a rather shocking realization:
She’s working for one purpose and one purpose only—to pay your family’s tax burden.
How’s that for a wake-up call?
Before the middle of the last century, the average federal tax burden on an American family amounted to about 5 percent of that family’s total income. Now it amounts to well over 30 percent, and for many families the number is over 40 percent.
Turn back the clock about half a century, to 1955 or so, and you’ll find that the breadwinner in an average American family had to work until sometime around the first week in February to pay all of that family’s taxes for the year. Fifty years later, not only are both parents breadwinners, but they both have to work well into late May, and sometimes even early June, before those taxes are paid in full.
If you come in at 8:30, work until 10, take a half-hour break, work until noon, take an hour for lunch, and finally work until 5:30 in the afternoon—you don’t earn the first dollar for yourself until you’re back from lunch. The entire morning is dedicated to earning money to support government.
This, my friends, is where politics intersects with your life—by picking your pocket. Those politicians you see on TV aren’t just making obscure laws and fighting over foreign policy. They’re out there seizing your money and spending it on vote-buying programs that help them maintain their positions of power and prestige—while you and your spouse labor every day to cover the tab.
Want to buy a new car? The price of a new car is going up every year, due to government action. Now the government requires cars to have air pressure monitoring systems on all tires. Next year it will be some other alleged safety improvement. Soon you’ll have to settle for a used car, thanks to those price increases. That’s politics.
Want to build a house on a nice little lot you’ve found? You might want to build 2,100 square feet, but the local building code says it has to be 2,800 square feet. You can’t afford a house that big, so you look elsewhere. That’s politics.
Want to send your child to a private school in your neighborhood? Fine, but after paying your property taxes, there’s not much left over. It’d be nice if the county issued you a voucher you could use to send your child to school where you want instead of spending it on taxes. Oh, whoops, the teachers unions killed that deal. That’s politics.
Hoping your husband will get that promotion he’s been angling for at work? He comes home with the long face and explains to you that the company’s diversity committee has decided that the job needs to go to a minority. That’s politics.
Enjoy that nice view out behind your house? Sorry—turns out that property has been seized by local government to make way for a private developer to build a water park. Don’t want a water park in your back yard? That’s politics.
Maybe all this helps explain why I’d like to tell all those talk radio consultants to take their “don’t talk about politics” nonsense and try to sell it to my competition.
Respectfully, of course.
Like it or not, we live in a society where almost every action we take is regulated or controlled in one way or another by government, and our government is controlled by politicians.
I’m not here to talk about how to rewire your toaster or clip your dog’s toenails. I’m here to engage people by talking with them about things that will actually have an impact, sometimes profound, sometimes not, on their lives. That means I talk about politics. If I can pull that off in an entertaining manner, then I need to go ahead and retire right now…before Hillary gets sworn in.
And as for you listeners who are part of the “I’m not interested in politics” chorus: Politics is what’s going on all around you while you’re grabbing for the sports page in the morning, jogging with your iPod in the afternoon, or programming your Tivo in the evening to record Entertainment Tonight.
“I’m not interested in politics” is an affirmation that you’re not interested in the actions of people who control your bank account, your personal freedom, and your very life.
This republic cannot survive the continued neglect of its people.