We can either give all citizens equality, or not tax the oppressed.

Young men of color are not treated equally by cops, but they pay the same taxes as old white farts like this author, who gets very good service from the cops. So we can either treat POC as equal citizens, or cut their taxes (& raise taxes on white folks). Anything else would be unfair and thus, un-American.

LGBT Americans are not treated equally by the courts, but they pay the same taxes as old heterosexual farts like this author, who gets very good service from the courts when he gets married or pays taxes on inheritances. So we can either treat LGBT people as equal citizens, or cut their taxes (& raise taxes on straight folks). Anything else would be unfair and thus, un-American.

Women are not treated equally by courts OR the cops, but they pay the same taxes as old male farts like this author, who gets very good service from the courts and the cops. So we can either treat women as equal citizens, or cut their taxes (& raise taxes on dudes). Anything else would be unfair and thus, un-American.

Taxation without representation was one of the reasons we formed this country in the first place. The ideas that people paying taxes should have some say in how they are taxed, and should receive some benefit from taxation, are fundamental to fairness and justice.

Don’t believe it? Let some fast food joint overcharge you for a cheeseburger, but charge the next customer the correct price. Would you be hacked off? Oh hellz yeah, you’d be all up in that restaurant’s face, demanding a refund and decrying the discriminatory way they treated you.

The government is ripping off millions of taxpayers, and has been doing so for decades. We can either:
*condone this extortion and theft,
*rectify the inequalities, or
*cut taxes on those who are being overcharged (thus raising taxes on the white, straight, male population to balance the budget).

Even if one were to hate POC, gays, and women, even if they support discriminatory laws against them…or maybe ESPECIALLY if they feel that way, we should all be willing to support fairness in our tax code.