Word: taxingly
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...theory, tax incentives have two advantages over traditional government programs: (a) they're cheaper, because each dollar of lost tax revenue produces multiple dollars of the desired activity; and (b) they're smarter, because they tap into the creativity of the private sector. Both premises, though, are open to question...
...problem on the cost side is that some of the activity you're trying to encourage would occur anyway. In these cases the subsidies are wasted. This is egregiously true of tax incentives to promote savings, such as IRAs. People would save money even if there were no tax advantage. They may save more because of the tax incentive, but they get the break from dollar...
...tax code so hideously complex? It's not because the IRS is run by fiends. Every twist and turn is there because someone wanted to use taxes to influence other people's behavior. Tax simplification is a popular rallying cry, but compassionate conservatives seem intent on making the tax code even more ornate...
...superior to any government agency is more appealing in theory than in practice. The Aug. 2 issue of TIME quoted a conservative who is already alarmed that compassionate conservatism might benefit left-wing groups. He doesn't wish to be that compassionate! The problem with Bush's grants and tax credits is like the problem with school vouchers: giving people a choice means forcing other people to contribute tax dollars to institutions they may find offensive. Government compassion subsidies, says Bush's poop sheet, "should be available...to all organizations," which "should not be forced to compromise their core values...
Watching your tax money being spent on something you disapprove of is a central experience of democracy. But conventional government spending is an expression, however indirectly, of the popular will. That's both a consolation for those who object and a constraint on who gets the money. Under compassionate conservative-style Big Government, there is no consolation and no constraint. In theory, that is. In practice, constraint is inevitable. There will be bureaucratic rules and regs over who qualifies as a compassion conduit--along with ugly political battles, lawsuits and all the irritating side dishes of Big Government. Then someone...