A Harris poll I've seen says only 12 percent of the electorate

“A Harris poll I've seen says only 12 percent of the electorate names taxes as one of the most important issues facing the nation. Voters put tax cuts dead last, behind education, Social Security, health care, Medicare, and poverty.” — thus spoke Lane Evans, a servant of the people and a voice of conscience within the halls of government. His words, though born in the realm of politics, reach beyond it — they touch the moral heartbeat of a nation. For in them, we hear not statistics, but the echo of a truth older than any republic: that a nation’s greatness lies not in its wealth, but in its care for its people, in its devotion to justice, knowledge, health, and compassion.

Evans’ words were not uttered in vanity, but in response to a rising tide of rhetoric that exalted tax cuts as the supreme virtue of governance. Yet he saw what the people themselves already knew — that the true burdens of a society are not merely financial. The cry of the people was not for lower taxes, but for education, that their children might rise; for Social Security, that their elders might live in dignity; for health care and Medicare, that sickness might not destroy the poor; and for relief from poverty, that none should perish in the land of plenty. These are the pillars upon which a humane civilization stands — and Evans, in the tradition of prophets and philosophers, reminded his nation that compassion outweighs currency.

In the history of all nations, there comes a moment when the measure of progress shifts from gold to goodness. The ancient Romans, in their glory, built roads and conquered lands, but when greed overcame mercy and wealth eclipsed virtue, their empire fell into ruin. Likewise, the industrial giants of the 19th century, who once exalted profit above humanity, were later shamed into reform by the cries of their workers and the courage of reformers. Evans’ words, like a spark from those earlier fires, burn with the same message: that the soul of a nation is tested not by how it enriches the powerful, but by how it uplifts the vulnerable.

The quote arises from an age when leaders debated endlessly over budgets and taxes, yet the people themselves saw the truth with greater clarity. They did not hunger for policy alone, but for protection, opportunity, and fairness. In a land of wealth, they saw the irony that poverty still persisted, that schools still crumbled, that medicine still cost lives. The poll Evans cites is more than a measure of opinion — it is a mirror held to the conscience of the country. It shows that ordinary citizens, when freed from political illusion, know that human well-being outweighs fiscal ideology.

The wisdom in his words is not only political, but spiritual. For what is a tax cut if it robs a child of education? What is a budget surplus if it leaves the sick to die unattended? What profit is there in a society that builds towers of wealth but neglects the weak who dwell in their shadows? Evans’ truth is the same truth that guided Abraham Lincoln, who said that government exists “to do for the people what they cannot do for themselves.” It is the same truth that echoes in every sacred text: that the strong must bear the burdens of the weak, and that prosperity without compassion is no prosperity at all.

Let us, then, draw the lesson from these words. Seek not merely to prosper, but to serve. When the time comes to choose — whether as voters, leaders, or neighbors — remember that the measure of a society lies in the care it gives to its children, its sick, and its aged. Let us build schools before we build walls, and heal wounds before we count coins. Let our economy be the servant of humanity, not its master. For as the ancients taught, a kingdom that hoards wealth but neglects justice is already rotting from within.

So, children of the republic, remember Lane Evans’ wisdom: that the heart of a nation is not found in the treasury, but in the spirit of its people. Taxes may rise or fall, but compassion must remain constant. When you see the world arguing over numbers, ask instead about the people behind them — the mother who needs medicine, the child who needs a teacher, the elder who needs rest. For only when we place human dignity above material gain will we be able to say, with truth and pride, that our nation is truly healthy — not in wealth alone, but in soul.