A wise and frugal government which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government.

— Thomas Jefferson

I do not believe this to be accurate. Unregulated economies are what got us Standard Oil, the original AT&T, the great depression, and even Microsoft. A market left to govern itself will not benefit the consumer but rather benefit the most ruthless of businessmen.

As for the taxes issue. For a moment think that helping out other can actually benefit you; by helping the poor you can expand your client base, or customer pool. Not to mention the state of our public schools which is caused by a combination of low funding where it’s needed and an overly powerful union.

Seeing so many people flock to this quote makes me worry that next will be a swell of support for a flat tax.