To Keep Our Taxes High, Let Us Pray to the Lord

HT to Terry Berres---

The Wisconsin Bishops' Conference has taken a position against the TPA.

In the 'short version' of the Summa Theologica (A Tour of the Summa, Mgr. Paul Glenn, TAN Books) we find:

"Since man has a natural need to procure, to dispense, and to use material goods, it is lawful for him to possess such goods as his own. But in the use of such goods, man must be willing to give or share, according to reason and justice, to a neighbor in need." (P 229, #66, 2)

On the other hand, the Bishops spake thus:

“No law or amendment, however cleverly named or well-packaged, can protect us from the moral claims of our neighbors. No amendment can shield us from the claims of our children to a quality education, of the elderly to income security, of the ill to health care, of the poor to necessities of life, or of our descendants to the good stewardship of the natural resources left in trust to us by our ancestors.

One trusts that the Bishops understand that the obligation to "give or share...to a neighbor" is NOT an obligation to "give or share through the Government."

We have argued, although not on this blog, that the amount of charitable giving is necessarily reduced by excessive taxation, insofar as those who tax have the power of arms and enforcement.

And as Provincial Emails points out, leaving "the judgment of elected officials" to have its way with money is dicey. In fact, having surveyed that "judgment" over the years, the PEOPLE have demanded that the "judgment" of the elected officials be constrained.