Judson Cox, October 27, 2003

I have to admit, the democrats have some good ideas. They have convinced me that the rich really should pay their fair share of taxes. I can't imagine how the rich have avoided paying their fair share, but this must end. According to the latest statistics by the Congressional Budget Office, the top 10% of income earners make 40.6% of pretax income, but pay 52.2% of all taxes! This just isn't fair! If the rich are to pay their fair share, they must have a drastic tax cut. Meanwhile, the bottom 20% make 4% of pre-tax income, but pay only 1.1% of taxes. If fairness is our goal, the poor must pay more. The IRS should send agents out to snatch nickels from panhandlers’ cups! Shouldn't government benefits be distributed fairly as well? After all, the more you spend at a store, the more you leave with. Someone must sign Bill Gates up for food stamps and HUD subsidies right now. After all, we're not communists; this isn't about income redistribution!

The dems have also convinced me of the need for alternative fuel sources. It is our patriotic duty to use ethanol instead of evil oil. As a native of the mountains of North Carolina, I can tell you that this ethanol is great stuff! We have malted corn, fermented and distilled the wonderful... umm, ... fuel for generations. We have been selling it tax free by the pint and quart; now we can get federal subsidies! Wow, and I thought democrats had no good ideas.

Seriously though, one thing is clear: democrats have no clue how to fight the War on Terror. They seem to think that Osama bin Laden is personally responsible for all Islamic terrorism. They contend that we should curtail all efforts to prevent terrorism and focus on killing bin Laden. They speak as if he is carrying out attacks by mental telepathy; if we kill him, all the jihadists would become peaceful Muslims. This may be an effective strategy for gaining the democratic presidential nomination. A poll reported on Special Report With Britt Hume on Oct. 23 of this year, found that only 1% of democratic voters in the Iowa caucus, and only 2% of in the New Hampshire caucus believed terrorism to be an important issue.

Thankfully, democratic primary voters are not representative of the average American. The September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks scared the hell out of most of us. When President Bush vowed to not only take out those responsible for the attacks, but to act preemptively to prevent future attacks, we were thrilled. After the towers fell and the Pentagon was hit, most Americans thought it was a good idea to get them before they get us. Although there has been much disagreement over the way we should fight terrorism, most Americans would still rather prosecute the War on Terrorism than wait for another 3,000 Americans to be killed. Something beats nothing every time.

The democratic candidates are vehemently opposed to the Bush Doctrine, but they have no alternative plan. The best they have done so far is to claim that the billions spent on toppling the Hussein government and in rebuilding Iraq would have been better spent on domestic social programs. If that is the argument they wish to make, so be it. However, if a democrat becomes president, and another September 11th style attack occurs on American soil, that argument won't fly. Few Americans will be comforted knowing that their government chose not to fight terrorism but to prop up a US Postal Service that will be $7.3 billion in debt this year and still can't deliver a letter on time, pump a few billion more into a public education system that can't seem to teach its students to read, write or do basic math, and to create a prescription drug plan that provides Bill Gates with free medicine.

To the Democratic Party I say, get serious or lose and expect to be out of power for generations to come. Regardless of what partisans may say, a one party system would not be healthy for our republic. However, if the democrats continue as they have, a one party system is exactly what we will have.

Judson Cox is a political columnist from the mountains of North Carolina. He is quickly gaining recognition as one of the most popular and influential voices of his generation. As a college student, and a young entrepreneur, he has a unique perspective on matters of politics, economics and culture.

Copyright © 2003 Judson Cox