Taxation without Representation:
Time for another Boston Tea Party?

By Tim Penny
Published: Rochester Post Bulletin, 7/5/06

With our Independence Day celebration right around the corner, I’m reminded of a magnificent story about our nation’s fight for independence - the "Boston Tea Party." As you’ll remember, in 1773 the British parliament passed the Tea Act to force the colonists to buy their tea and pay a tax. This inflamed the colonial issue of "taxation without representation." In response to the "tea tax," dozens of courageous colonists who called themselves the "Sons of Liberty" boarded three British ships and dumped 45 tons of tea into the Boston Harbor.

I have come to believe that the time has come for a modern day equivalent of the Boston Tea Party! Here’s why: Our nation’s current fiscal policies are creating a mountain of debt that our grandchildren will be forced to repay through higher taxes. In my view, that amounts to "taxation without representation."

The projected shortfall in the Social Security system is a prime example of how today’s policies - unless changed - will burden future taxpayers. David Walker, the non-political head of the Government Accounting Office (www.gao.gov), is warning that the looming shortfalls in entitlements, like Social Security, are the equivalent of a fiscal tsunami. This fiscal storm will come soon - and it’s big. According to every reputable report, in about 12 years Social Security’s annual deficits will begin to grow quickly totaling hundreds of billions of dollars every year. The unfunded promises we have made to Social Security and Medicare recipients will almost certainly lead to higher taxes on today’s children and those yet to be born.

However, most of our elected officials are unwilling to step up to the plate and deal with this difficult issue. Yet, every year of delay adds $600 billion to the unfunded obligations of the Social Security system. If Social Security-and its sister program, Medicare-are not dealt with soon, the fiscal problems will fall squarely on the backs of coming generations. The price they will have to pay will be enormous. We cannot and should not burden our children and grandchildren in this way.

What would a modern day "Boston Tea Party" look like? One idea would be that voters flood Capitol Hill with letters protesting this tax on our children and enclose a tea bag. The letter should demand that congress act now to fix Social Security (and other entitlement programs) so that we can deliver coming generations a better deal instead of a raw deal. Trust me, members of congress will take notice and will need to think seriously about how to respond to this voter revolt. In addition, this is an election year and our vote this fall will also send a message to Capitol Hill.

During the coming campaign, listen to what the candidates are saying about Social Security and Medicare. Are they acknowledging the long-term costs of these programs and offering solutions that are fair to coming generations? If not, then like the tea in Boston Harbor, throw these candidates overboard.