The Bulldog Bites Back: A Halloween Tale for Taxpayers
The town known as Franklin was a fine place to be,
With the people so prosperous and its view of the sea.
But then, when the moon turned full and bright,
The people of Franklin were all filled with fright.
Everyone knew it was from the town hall,
And every year it came out to call:
“I need your dollars, your cents, your votes,
And if you have none, I’ll garnish your goats!
You all must come pay me and pay me you will,
For I am your budget and have coffers to fill!”
Shocked were the people who’d paid all their dues,
And stood up against what looked like a ruse.
“We spend far too much and so we shall stop,
We’ll cut you down to size, bottom to top.”
“But I am the law, and you must obey.
Just bring me your money, and I’ll go away.
That is, until I need more – when cupboards are bare -
Then I’ll jack up the taxes, the fees, and the fares.
To spend on pet projects and things you don’t need,
There’s really no end to my bottomless greed.”
The people were shocked, their confidence tossed,
How could they fight? They already’d lost.
Then out of the dark came a figure they knew,
One that could help and show what to do.
It was not a knight or a comic book hero,
But a bulldog to trim the waste down to zero.
He chewed through all of the mindless reports,
The spending figures, and legal retorts,
And knew how to shrink the budget just so,
To cut it to size and keep taxes low.
The bulldog set forth to teach the masses,
On spending, reform, freedom, and taxes.
When it was done and the bulldog rose up,
The people all cheered for their helpful pup.
The binge was stopped and the town was saved.
A bright future for Franklin now was paved.
“Now to keep a bigger budget at bay,”
The bulldog growled as he ambled away.
“Good luck in Washington!” the people did shout.
And here, dear reader, is where you can help out:
National Taxpayers Union Foundation wishes you a safe and fun Halloween!
While NTUF researchers try to match rhymes and ghostly themes in our off-time, we’re much better at scoring federal legislation. NTUF has been doing so for over 20 years, but that’s not all: in the past year alone we’ve brought together citizens in celebrating the life and work of economist Milton Friedman, offered in-depth analysis of President Obama’s budget proposals, and provided up-to-the-minute commentary on federal, state, and local spending that affects Americans on a daily basis. Now, like the townspeople above, we need you.
How can you help save America from the ghouls of big government? We need your help to produce some of the best research and commentary on the fiscal issues facing our nation. With your tax-deductible $20, $50, or $100 contribution, NTUF can get you what you need to know about government spending and how your elected officials want to spend your tax dollars.
With your help, we can fight back against the fiscal phantoms and debt demons and make scary spending scarce!