Benjamin Franklin was many things. He was a world-class diplomat who represented the United States to France during the Revolutionary War. He formed the first fire department in Pennsylvania and was the nation’s first Postmaster General. He was also a tireless inventor with the lighting rod, bifocals and carriage odometer credited to him.

One of Franklin’s best known quotes is; “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except for death and taxes.” However, in Washington, some bureaucrats want to make the saying true for cows as well as humans.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) late last year began thinking about levying a tax on livestock in order to control methane gas emissions. The New York Farm Bureau placed the cost per milk cow at $175 and $87.50 for beef cattle.  That cost would no doubt be passed along to consumers. There are no concrete plans for a “cow tax”, but in Washington- bad ideas rarely go away.

Still others believe that now is the time to increase the gas tax. For many Missourians, travel is a necessity. They depend on their cars to get to and from work. They pick up their kids from school and run to any number of after school programs.

Politicians, anonymous commissions and bureaucrats can be great inventors themselves when it comes to raising your taxes. You can also be certain that I am going to fight efforts like these. The very last thing we should do in this economy is look for ways to raise your taxes.

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