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A Down Payment on More Freedom Beginning on Monday, the first of 1.8 million checks will be mailed from the U.S. Treasury to Missourians, totaling about $771 million. As we all know too painfully, especially around Tax Day on every April 15th, the checks usually go the other way. Because of this uncommon event, some Missourians may be a little confused when they find these unexpected checks in their mail boxes over the next few weeks. That is why Vice President Dick Cheney and Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neil will join me in Kansas City today to explain exactly what is going on. I think the President himself said it best: "It is not the government's money. It is your money." When Missourians begin to cash $771 million worth of U.S. Treasury checks, they won't be getting someone else's money. They are getting their own money back. What many folks do not realize is that for many years, people were sending Washington more money than the federal government needed. Over time, this built up into a projected $5.6 trillion tax surplus over the next ten years. President Bush considered two options after arriving in office and finding this unused money piling up in Washington: The first was to invent new government programs and hire more bureaucrats to spend this money. (That is sort of typical of how Washington thinks when it thinks no one is paying attention). The second was a little more radical: if the federal government does not need the money, why not return a healthy portion of it back to the folks who actually earned this money? Well, that is exactly what the President and Congress decided to do. On June 7th, the President signed a tax relief bill into law that will return to Americans $1.3 trillion of their earnings. And now, beginning on Monday, millions of American families will receive a down-payment on that tax relief. Missourians who are not married will receive up to $300, depending on how much in taxes they paid last year. Married couples will receive up to $600. Regardless of how much money you have, this tax rebate is sure to help. But the significance of this tax rebate is about more than money. It is really about a philosophy of government � how we as a free people choose to be governed. How much we pay in taxes is a good way to figure out if we are working for our government or if it works for us. Obviously, most Americans prefer the latter. But with the tax burden at a record high many of us feel like we are working to support our government instead of our families. So when your checks arrive, think about what it means. It is more than some extra money in your pocket. It is a statement by this government that the needs of citizens come before the needs of government. That is what real freedom is all about. |
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