Free money… What do you think?

To the Editor,

     Free money? According to The Tax Foundation, the tax burden on the average blue-collar worker is 31.5 percent, if we are talking income AND payroll taxes, the average U.S. worker pays over $16,000 per year. This cash is from our paychecks, your money!

     According to the Congressional Budget Office (cbo.gov), our budget for 2018 federal grants to state and local governments is $703,000,000,000 (billion – far from FREE)! The Department of Education budgeted amount is $60.2 billion…. In just these two areas the individual states would be FAR more beneficially controlled by the residents who have the total right to decide how they want THEIR TAX DOLLARS allocated. Students and citizens would all be better off. Education stats have continually deteriorated in proportion to federal government involvement. ALL “grants” and “funding” have strings attached! Get the federal facet OUT! Constitutionally these are STATE responsibilities anyway! Not federal, purposefully made this way to avoid external control.

     Bottom line, Washington spends money to “fund” state allocations, knowingly spending MUCH more than is taken in. The voters want more aid not less and D.C. aims to please. Of course the fed could print more money, which devalues the dollar and causes inflation, which will damage rather than boost the economy. Instead the government issues Treasury Bonds which anyone can buy, this is like a government “I OWE You.” The Chinese government has been buying these for years! China increasingly dominates the world (and our) economy! Federal money must be taxpayer money NOT foreign government supported. We could pay for these benefits with much more than monetary loss.

     All who care in each state must tell Washington NO THANK YOU to these grants including educational funding! Again, this is a function of the STATE. Do you prefer to have a say in how your tax dollars should be spent? If so, your tax money needs to stay home, in Iowa not reallocated only to those who agree to Federal “strings” that come with our money. Our constitutional checks and balances must be adhered to TODAY or the growing IMBALANCE could be our demise. In the above two areas, the money need not leave the state in the first place! We must pay attention!

     What do you think?

Jean McInerney

Anamosa, Iowa