The Hidden Tax Washington Doesn’t Want You to Notice
Inflation is a growing problem.
“Inflation is in effect a hidden tax.” — Rand Paul
But his most useful warning for today might be even simpler.
The experts who built our current economic system focused on the intended consequences of their policies.
Print money and run massive deficits → stimulate the economy.
Pass $4.9 trillion in COVID stimulus → support families and businesses during the crisis.
Expand government spending → grow the economy.
They paid far less attention to the unintended consequences.
Because those consequences are what we’re living with right now.
Persistent inflation—fueled by that enormous stimulus spending—that drove consumer prices up 7% (the largest rise in 40 years) and hit gas, groceries, used cars, and housing hard.
Paychecks and retirement accounts that quietly lose real purchasing power while everyday costs climb.
A regressive burden that falls heaviest on low- and middle-income families, who spend nearly 40% of their income on these inflated essentials.
Rand Paul has repeatedly called this out as a hidden tax that erodes your money without ever being voted on.
The experts didn’t plan for this part.
Some people who read Rand Paul did.
They looked beyond the good intentions and asked: “What actually happens next when Washington keeps printing and spending?” These critical thinkers made different decisions because of it—protecting themselves from the hidden costs of endless inflation.
A breakdown of what those decisions look like in today’s environment is available here.