The old saying goes that a conservative is just a liberal who has been mugged. If so, the federal tax code may end up being responsible for changing a generation of black artists into conservatives.

Up front, I’m not a connoisseur of rap or hip-hop. Sorry. Not my culture. I’m much more in agreement with Dave Barry who said, “I hate rap music, which to me sounds like a bunch of angry men shouting, possibly because the person who was supposed to provide them with a melody never showed up.” But one can’t ignore the profound effect that rap and hip hop have had on the national culture.

In this vignette I was introduced to Belcalis Almanzar, a rapper who goes by the name “Cardi B.” And because I always try to leave you, gentle reader, a bit richer for the experience of having read one of my posts, here is a sample of her work:

Now there is a video of Cardi B asking some tough questions of her government:

Cardi B is getting into tax policy now. She says she's paying 40% of her income in taxes and wants to know where the money is going…"when you donate to a kid in a foreign country, they give you updates on what they're doing with your donation….I want updates on my tax money." pic.twitter.com/E1hITGNqee

— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) March 23, 2018

“So you know the government is taking 40 percent of my taxes,” Cardi B said. “And, Uncle Sam, I want to know what you’re doing with my f***ing tax money. Because, you know what I’m saying? When you donate, when you donate to a kid from a foreign country, they give you updates of what they’re doing with your donation.”

Cardi B, whose real name is Belcalis Almanzar, notes that she is from New York City and “the streets are always dirty.”

“What are y’all doing?” Cardi B asked. “There’s still rats on the damn trains. I know you’re not spending it in no damn prison because y’all be giving [people] two underwear, one jumpsuit for five months. So what are y’all doing with my f***ing money? What is y’all doing with my f***ing money? I want to know. I want receipts.”

This is not a new observation. For years, Rush Limbaugh has said that all we need to do to get rid of the federal income tax and national debt is to eliminate the payroll tax. Writing a huge check to the IRS each April would convince most Americans that something is definitely wrong.

She’s right, though. When you do contribute your pennies each month to Save the Children, at least you get a a postcard letting you know that the money was well spent.

But the difference between a woman like Cardi B saying it and some well-set white guy from American Enterprise making the same point is huge. Her message is truly subversive because it strikes at the Democrat plantation system in a way no conservative ever could.