Chapter 1: My Wife's Wallet vs. the Government's Budget - Who's More Responsible?
This morning, my wife said to me, "Isn't the consumption tax necessary for welfare?" And then, just five minutes later, after coming back from the grocery store, she was furious. "I couldn't even afford milk because of that damn tax!"
Ah, women and their household budgeting—always sharper than they let on.
But here's what gets me. When it comes to everyday money management, regular folks like my wife do a better job than the people supposedly running the country. Every time someone mentions tax cuts, those ruling party politicians wrinkle their brows and say, "But there's no money."
No money? Really?
See, "revenue source" (zaigen, as we say) is just a fancy term for "the taxes that people have agreed to pay." It's the budget limit, set by the public. But politicians flip the logic. They say, "We want to spend X, but taxes only give us Y, so there's no money."
Imagine if my wife said, "Next month, I want to go to a fancy French dinner," and then looked at my wallet and said, "You're short!" It wouldn't be that I'm short—it's that she set the dinner plan before checking the budget.
That's what the government does. They want to spend first, then pretend the lack of funds is your fault.
Chapter 2: "Revenue Source" — The Government's Favorite Magic Word
I've been around long enough to know: "There's no money" has become a reflexive phrase in politics.
They treat the national treasury like some magical treasure chest that's just inexplicably empty.
But in reality? It's just about living within your means. In any household or company, if your income drops, you cut your spending. Simple, right?
When my wife's part-time hours got cut, the first thing she did was swap my whiskey for cheap beer. Yes, I took the hit.
So why does the government get to say, "We want to spend more, so we have to take more"?
Can you tell your boss, "I need a raise because I want a new car"?
Here comes the classic political sleight of hand: "Tax revenue is down" → "There's no money" → "Therefore, we must raise taxes."
It's like breaking into your neighbor's house and saying, "My fridge is empty, can I take some of yours?"
That's not governance. That's extortion.
Even a nation must live within what comes in. Demanding more just because you've planned to spend more? That's not a modern democracy. That's a shakedown.
Frankly, it borders on violating Japan's constitutionally mandated obligation to pay taxes only within legal bounds.
Chapter 3: When "Live Within Your Means" Only Applies to the People
My wife often scolds me: "You're still smoking those fancy cigars? Live within your means!"
Fair enough. It stings, but she's right.
Now, how about the government?
They preach "self-responsibility" and "austerity" to us, the citizens, while refusing to tighten their own belts. When public frustration over heavy tax burdens peaks, they start handing out money like band-aids.
And when the bills pile up? They say, "Well, we gave out a lot of money, so now our finances are bad. Worse than other countries, in fact!"
They lie, and expect us to thank them.
Managing a budget means asking: "What can we do with this much income?" Not: "How much more can we squeeze from people?"
If your shop's revenue drops, you cut orders, reduce staff, rethink your business model.
But our government? Revenue drops, but spending increases.
It's like running a store with no customers, still stocking up, then billing random passersby. That's not fiscal policy. That's aggressive panhandling.
Chapter 4: My Verdict — "There's No Money" Is Just an Excuse for Tax Addiction
So let me sum this up.
"There's no money" is a lie built on three falsehoods:
- Redefining revenue as "what we want to spend" instead of what we've actually collected.
- Reversing the logic of budgeting: "We need more, so we take more."
- Demanding austerity only from the public, never from themselves.
It's all part of a political structure built on tax-first thinking. They don't want to make tough choices. They want easy money.
But I say this: the true "revenue source" is the public's consent. If you want to spend more, explain why. Convince us. Show us what you cut first. Prove there's nothing left to trim.
If all we hear is, "There's no money," then we have every right to ask:
"So which part of my fridge are you planning to raid next?"
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"There's no money" is a political lie. Tax first, justify later? No thanks. We want budgets, not bandits.
#FiscalResponsibility #TaxTruth #BudgetReality #JapanPolitics #TrenchMonologue