Sack the Grocery Tax

Saturday. Sofa. Coffee.

In the spirit of what sadly is the week's most major news story, a softball will not be allowed  to be thrown this morning.  No air will be let out and it may sting a little to try and catch it.

Sometimes things are hard because they are supposed to be.

The news this week was dominated by the mysterious loss of air pressure in the footballs thrown by Tom Brady in last week's NFL playoff game.  If air time, column inches, tweets and search engine entries are any indication, we are more concerned with the deflation of the Patriots footballs for that one game last Sunday than we are with the wars and violence in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria . . . well we have never really been too concerned with our current wars. But really, what difference has a decade of war made in our lives.  Especially when compared to football.

Here is a hard truth. It should sting.

If you are a citizen of Alabama who has the good fortune to not be financially poor, then you are enjoying and using good things paid for by your poor, invisible Alabama neighbors with money they need to buy food or necessities for themselves and their children.  Our roads are repaired with money that is needed for medicines or milk.  Our schools are funded with money that might have purchased fresh vegetables and fruit. Our prison systems and law enforcement are bought with money that might have paid for healthier, yet more expensive choices.  State supported recreation areas or cultural projects are paid for with money that might have bought a healthier baby food.  You get the idea.

The State of Alabama imposes a sales tax of four percent on groceries. Municipalities add even more tax on top of that. If you read this and think, "well that only amounts to four dollars out of a hundred. Just cut out the coke and candy on the way out and you've got it made,"  then you are clueless, and that is nice for you.

But you need to be hit in the head with a hardball. It needs to sting.

Poor people must make hard choices.  Sometimes it is whether to buy fresh fruit and vegetables or pay the power bill.  Sometimes it is whether to buy a child a pair of shoes or have meat at a couple of meals a week.  Sometimes it is whether to skip the dentist visit or buy enough milk for the month.

It's not about whether to buy a coke and candy.  Or to put off buying the new outfit. Or the new car or latest phone. Or about having to skip a vacation or a concert. Or whether to sit in the end zone or in the box seats.

It is about which necessity of life to cut back on because the State of Alabama  taxes those necessities.

We tax food.

The State of Alabama taxes the necessities of life, even for the poor. Especially for the poor. We raise money for what we want by taxing what even the poorest among us must buy to survive.

Some say that we just can't afford to make the change now, since the State is in such a financial bind.  My God, have mercy on us if that is our excuse.

Let the poor and the powerless be our safety net till things get better.

Someone said the poor would always be with us.

Thank God. Otherwise we'd really be in trouble.
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Go to Alarise.org to see how to get involved in repealing Alabama's sales tax on groceries.