(Access Bennie Lee Ferguson's U.S. presidential/Kansas House web portal at http://candidate.org/BenFerguson.)

TAXATION

The issue of taxation is probably the most permanent and fundamental of all political controversies. The concept of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" developed from British common law which emphasized property rights as being the basis of individual freedom. Opposition to excessive taxation is one of the basic underpinnings of Libertarian philosophy. It is often said in Libertarian circles that in regard to property taxes, for instance, one never really owns real estate, but rents it from the government. Having said all of this, however, the taxation bureaucracy of the federal government has become too massive to reform in one fell swoop. And, in any event, we are no longer a nation of yeoman farmers with a laissez-faire central government. The best that can be hope for under the current circumstances is to support politicians who appear to monitor tax legislation carefully to see that the money is properly spent and roll back "tax and spend" policies gradually as the political situation warrants.