The Aug. 24 letter, "Writer unfairly placed blame for national debt," only cast more blame for a problem that should not even exist.
The writer was right; we should honor the Declaration of Independence -- but not by allowing the federal government to continue its overreaching grasp on our lives by feeding it more of our money. We should honor that great document by making sure every person reads and understands why it was created and how relevant it remains.
The federal government was not created to decide how states or their citizens should spend their money. America was founded as a republic, a union of individual states, with governments that make laws and collect taxes appropriate to the needs of each state's residents. The contract between the states, the Constitution, was written so that states could not discriminate against other states (tariffs). Also, the agreement ensured that all citizens were free to move about from state to state as they pleased, respecting the laws of each state. This is great, because if a person doesn't like a state's views on taxes, gay marriage or health care, that person could move to a different state.
But I ask now: Where can a person go to escape the taxes that fund undeclared wars in other countries? Where can citizens go to escape the government that forces them to buy health-care insurance? Where can our grandchildren go to escape the overwhelming burdens they will have to pay for without ever receiving the benefits? With a central government that overreaches its power, the answers are all nowhere.
Taxing us more, and even spending wisely, only treats the symptoms and does nothing to fix the problem. Without the ability to choose who we pay our taxes to, the end results will never change.
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Michael Grew
Duluth
