Are we standing in a bucket?

The Constitution, Article I, Section 8, gives Congress the power "to lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defense and general Welfare of the United States."

More than ever, Americans despise taxes. At a time of record deficits, record spending and an increased awareness of government waste, Americans no longer trust our leaders to spend our money wisely.

Bailouts, stimulus bills, massive defense spending and colossal entitlements aimed at health-care reform have left Americans numb.

The words "billion" and "trillion" are now used without pause.

The decisions made by our government, past and present, have steered the economy near the edge of a cliff. In an attempt to change direction, President Obama is asking Congress to use its Constitutional power "to lay and collect Taxes …," not necessarily to "… provide for our general Welfare…" but instead, to right the wrongs of years of bad decisions.

President Obama's strategy to guide the country out of economic gloom is to target small businesses and high-income individuals. By not renewing George Bush's tax cuts on this sector, the president places the burden of recovery on the backs of the affluent.

Such a strategy is controversial, and begs one to ask whether this is truly a strategy for recovery or simply another method of income redistribution. In the face of reckless and unbridled spending, it is difficult to imagine that raising taxes would diminish the deficit, ignite the economy and create jobs.

Increasing taxes on the "rich" during a recession is not only detrimental, it is inherently unfair.

"We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle," said Winston Churchill.

Raising taxes on the rich has consequences. A by-product is that it directly raises taxes on employers of small businesses whose success is considered the linchpin for growth and creating jobs.

Increasing taxes on individuals earning more than $200K will potentially stifle hiring of new employees, reduce investment and lower charitable contributions.

Most importantly, raising taxes on the wealthy contradicts the "American Way."

Our country was built on the idea that hard work, great ideas and ingenuity will be rewarded. By further penalizing those who have found financial success, President Obama is essentially diminishing the value of the American dream.

Earlier this year, President Obama stated that the rich must pay their fair share in taxes, suggesting this is currently not the case. Contrary to this statement, the United States currently has one of the most progressive tax structures in the world.

Our country relies more on the top 10 percent of taxpayers than any other nation, including France and Sweden. America's poor have one of the lowest tax burdens of any nation. Our top 1 percent of taxpayers pay more than 40 percent of total income taxes collected, and taxes collected from the top 1 percent now exceed the total amount of income taxes paid by the bottom 95 percent of taxpayers.

That being said, what does the president consider a "fair share?" It would appear we are already there.

How our country emerges from this recession and how we make the tough decisions necessary to deal with the deficit will require courageous efforts. Rather than adhere to the belief that government can do all and fix all, our leaders must have the courage to recognize they should have a limited role in our lives.

Courage is remembering that our country was born out of the oppression of a tyrannical government. Courage is recognizing that we, as Americans, will emerge from this recession ourselves, and it is up to the government to have the courage to get out of our way.

The current strategy of increased spending and taxing the rich is like standing in a bucket. Who among our leaders will have the courage to step out of this bucket and let us, the people, lift ourselves up to prosperity?

Chris Hunt is a doctor living in Hickory.