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The sin of taxin’ sin – Part III

Will: John Boy, I don’t think your idea of takin’ that pretty young prostitute to church would be a good idea. It might cause quite a stir.

Me: Do you think people would react to the way she dresses or her mannerisms? Maybe the fact that, she might come with some old geezer.

Will: It’s worse than that, she might accidently sit in some member’s self-assigned seat!

Me: You’re right Will that could be embarrassing. Woe to any preachers who might ask members of the congregation to move from the back of the church to the empty pews up front. Some of the words from the sermon on sinning, might actually stick to them if they sat to close.

Will: When I was in Miss Believeit Oresle’s Sunday school class, I’d get these devilish thoughts. It was like, Satan was tryin’ to get my attention away from Miss Believeit’s teachin’. She always seemed to know, when my thoughts were strayin’ off the path.

She’d say to me, “Will, you get them sinful thoughts right out of your mind and wipe that silly grin off your face! You know the Bible says, thinking a sin is just as bad as saying a sinful word or doing a sinful deed.”

Me: I suspect there are a whole lot of sinful thoughts going on during church and Sunday school, among the members. I sometimes wonder who cares that we might be sinning, in our modern culture?

Will: That’s the point I want to make. If churches started taxin’ their members for all their sinful thoughts, words, and deeds, do you realize how much money would be in the collection plates?

Problem is, all that money would get the attention of the legislators. They’re all about taxin’ people’s sins to pay for other people’s sins. They’d impose a sin tax on the sin tax. Double taxation on what people do best.

Me: Didn’t we fight a war over that kind of taxation? Unfortunately Will, you’re from the past and I have my foot in the doorway from the past, blocking that door from closing. The phrase ‘sin tax’ probably went out of style about the time legislators repealed the Blue Laws.

Will: You’re right, legislators opened up Sunday sales so people could buy more stuff. State Sen. Daylin Leach’s predecessors could use their check list to justify it and generate more taxes from it. Those legislators wanted more people workin’ while they continued to work less and get paid more, so they could spend more of your hard earned money, havin’ fun. It’s a great system for them.

Me: In today’s society, we want to separate church and state, leaving government to legislate morality.

Will: State government is into makin’ money off of cigarettes, booze, gambling, influence peddling, payoffs and protection for special interest. If they add on the marijuana trade and maybe prostitution like some other states, what does that make our government?

Me: Members of organized crime?

Will:Was that nice to say about your public officials? On the other hand, I hear tell there’s another tax which people are goin’ to start complainin’ about, anytime now.

Me: What kind of tax could that be? I haven’t heard of any spirited debate on a new issue?

Will: With the fall election only two months away, all them political ads will be taxin’ people’s patience! Citizens will be tryin’ to sort out the good, the bad, and the ugly, while dodgin’ mud and B.S. from all the political manure spreaders.

Me: Some people believe that, only government is capable of handling all the weighty issues, confronting today’s complex society.

Will: That’s right John Boy. Nancy Pelosi spilled the beans on how legislators deal with all these complex issues. She indicated their job was to vote, the way the political party tells them to vote. Once it’s made law, then you read the Bill you made into law, to find out what the law is all about! Government working at its finest.

Me: And people call church members hypocrites! If the politicians would work as hard, for the good of all the people, as they work trying to make themselves look good, they’re approval ratings wouldn’t be on the basement floor.

Unfortunately for democracy, in the course of government creating morality and thereby justification for their actions. They appear to be using the two step approach for rationalization, monkey see and monkey do. As I mentioned before, government comes dangerously close to acting like those who operate organized crime, extorting money from people’s addictions. Organized crime in turn, comes dangerously close to operating like a fascist form of government. At what point have we transitioned from democracy to fascism?

(To Be Continued)

Ralph Dotterer Jr. is a lifelong Nittany Valley farmer, hayseed philosopher and barnyard artist whose roots in the same soil go back almost 200 years.

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