Rep. Bill Delahunt, D-Mass., has introduced a bill that would force Americans who shop over the Internet to start paying state sales taxes. Despite the negative economic impact it would have on most Americans, pro-tax politicians and states have been lobbying Congress for some time to tax the Internet.

The typical argument is that states are facing budget shortfalls and need the money for such services as police and education - as though taxes only go to law enforcement and schools. They threaten cities with chaos if taxes aren’t raised while ignoring the thousand other things that can be cut.

But that’s the dirty tactic of pro-taxers - keep all the pork and public employee union benefits while sticking it to the taxpayer under threat of cutting ‘vital’ services. They have to use dishonesty and fear because most taxpayers wouldn’t care if unnecessary administrative positions, lavish benefits, or other earmarks were cut.

Many states do have budget problems, but so do many American families. If people have to make sacrifices and cut back on spending, then so should government. During fiscally hard times government should first help the citizen, not the state.