America on slavery's slippery slope

The average life of a democracy is 200 years. Our country has outlived its expiration date largely because it is a democratic republic with a constitution that guarantees our citizens certain inalienable rights and a government with three co-equal branches, each with checks on the other two.

We are now seeing those basic rights eroded by an aggressive Supreme Court. We also are seeing those checks and balances upset by an equally aggressive president and a Congress that is reluctant to use the power at its disposal.

Furthermore, the financial stability of this nation has been undermined by our elected representatives who have learned that the best way to stay in office is by spending our money and doing favors for their supporters.

As a result, our economy is at a near standstill and we are mired in debt. China is bullying us, but we owe so much to that communist country there is really nothing we can do about it. This has to stop before it is too late because, as the Bible says, "The borrower is the slave to the lender."

Just how far have we fallen down slavery's slippery slope?

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Things have gotten so bad that some of our citizens are now willing to give up their freedom at the ballot box to get what they do not have or feel powerless to attain on their own. This is the siren-song of democratic socialism.

While Bernie Sanders is the first presidential candidate to publicly campaign for it, the Democratic Party has pushed us away from the free market toward a socialist system for quite sometime. As I pointed out in my last column, half of the Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives now are official members of the Progressive Caucus, which is the Democratic Socialist of America's (DSAUSA) political arm.

Unfortunately, the majority of the leaders in the Republican Party also have proven that they are willing to ride this train as far as it will take them just to keep their power.

The people of this country are waking up. They sense something is terribly wrong. That is why the outsiders in both parties are now getting the attention of the voters.

Those on the left believe that life is a zero-sum game. It's the old, "I am poor because someone else is rich," argument.

The people on the right believe, as John F. Kennedy did, "A rising tide lifts all boats." They are looking for a candidate who will simply level the playing field. This explains the popularity of Ben Carson, the retired neurosurgeon and political activist.

While Dr. Carson has not released the details of his tax plan, he long has advocated a plan based on the biblical tithe. The idea is simple: All people, whether rich or poor, pay the same rate.

In the Bible, God asked everyone to return 10 percent of what they produce to Him. If someone makes $10,000, he pays $1,000. If someone makes $10 billion, he pays a billion.

What about people on welfare? They, too, should have the privilege of writing a check to pay this tax. If they have to return a portion of their welfare checks back to the government, they will have skin in the game. Then, they will care about the size and growth of the government and will be more likely to elect representatives who will control spending.

This is a far better idea than a plan that removes half of all wage earners from the tax roles.

Companies also would be required to play by the same rules and live or die on their own.

Deductions would be eliminated. That would keep our legislators from picking winners and losers. It would take away their power to control us. Even the hallowed home-mortgage deduction would go. It makes no sense to buy a home when one is on the bottom rungs of the economic ladder. Have you looked at how much interest is paid up front on home loans? There are much better ways to grow your assets.

Under a flat rate system, we could eliminate the IRS. How much would that cut the cost of government and save on tax preparation?

Initially, 10 percent may not be a reasonable tax figure, but it is a worthwhile goal. After all, if it's good enough for God ...

These are perilous times. We need someone who is not beholden to Washington and who is smart enough and brave enough to make the radical changes that are necessary to see that this democratic republic survives.

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