Happy Tax Day: And some questions for the Tea Party crowd.
Unlike Sarah Palin and today's "tea party" revolters, I believe it's patriotic to pay my share of taxes -- and even a higher proportion of taxes than those who make less than me. That reflects my willing participation in the world's greatest nation, a free democracy built on consensus. I may not be taxed enough, based on the large and growing debt that has characterized our habits since the advent of Reagan. But since I don't have kids, I suppose I'll be willing to pass the debt along to John Galt's kids.
For the Tea Party folks, I'd want to pose some questions:
* Many of you complain that "hard-working" people don't have enough of a chance to get ahead when taxes exceed, oh, 3 or 4%. But is there real, demonstrable evidence that hard-working people work less hard with 5-10% fluctuations in their tax rates?
* If some Americans came into sudden wealth through mere speculation on margin, should they be protected from higher taxes as much as "hard-working" people?
* Have you ever demanded that a small-government politician put forth publicly a balanced budget, rather than merely complaining vaguely about overspending?
* If other people in India work harder than you -- and four times cheaper than you -- in the same job that you have, what does the global economy owe to you? Don't those people deserve a level playing field that means you'd be making far less than what you do currently?
I guess I'm getting at a larger question: Is it really about "What we deserve economically as hard-working people"? Or is it about "What we can get away with in the short-term as the world's top economy"? The Bush years seem to have shown that "what we can get away with" is less and less. So what comes next? Responsibility. And gratitude for what we do have. Many religious people, who taught the need to be grateful for even tyrannical governments in years past, now preach ingratitude in the world's greatest nation.
I find that odd.
Oh, where to start, where to start.
First. You have no legitimate basis on which to make your first statement. Sarah Palin also believes it's patriotic to pay her fair share of taxes (unlike most of the Obama cabinet)...it's just that she believes her fair share is not what YOU think her fair share is. That's nice that you think you should be taxed more than people who make less than you. That is morally questionable. Why should you have more of your income taken away than anyone else?
Second, the Reagan economy would have been just fine, thank you very much, had Congress not continued to spend like drunken sailors.
As for the rest of your questions, it does not MATTER whether or not there's "demonstrable evidence" that hard-working people work less hard with fluctuations in the tax rates. What an elitist way to approach the question! People should get to keep more of their own money, and the Democrats in Congress are frantically working to make sure that does not happen, imagining, somehow, that they know better than the people how the people's money should be spent. THAT'S what matters.
So, to answer your question about earnings through speculation vs earnings from work... the answer is YES. Again, who are you to decide which earnings "deserve" protection. They aren't YOUR earnings. If you wish to donate more money to the government, feel free.
Re: small government politicians putting forth a balanced budget... the answer is yes. I always want to see a balanced budget, no matter what "size" government the politician claims to support.
What do other people in India have to do with how much we are taxed? The global economy doesn't owe me anything, by the way, especially if I cost more and don't work as hard. However, that still does not give my government the right to tax me in order to fund stupidity and incompetence (read: most federal functions).
As to what we deserve, it is whatever we can fairly earn. Not what we can earn minus obscene amounts of tax. Most of the conservatives I know are scrupulously responsible, so I don't know who you are lecturing here. How does paying more tax translate to being more responsible? That is a false construct.
As for gratitude, Rob, you are way way off-base. Most conservatives are very grateful for the American system that has been set up. But part and parcel of that system is the right and duty to speak up and participate in the system, which includes a robust debate about the role of taxes. Protesting taxes, as in today's tea parties, has absolutely NOTHING to do with gratitude. On the contrary, we should ALL be grateful that the tea partiers are free to do exactly that.
>>Second, the Reagan economy would have been just fine, thank you very much, had Congress not continued to spend like drunken sailors....Re: small government politicians putting forth a balanced budget... the answer is yes. I always want to see a balanced budget, no matter what "size" government the politician claims to support.
Um... Did Reagan ever propose a balanced budget, Diane? Or even close to that?
Considering that most wealth accumulated by the rich is not earned income (as in actually working for it), but comes from capital gains on investment income, it is little wonder why they are ALWAYS trying to lower or remove that type of income from being taxed. Seems Diane would rather have sweat dollars be the ones that pay the nation's way, or as I'm sure she will stupidly respond, that no one should pay the nation's way (Outside of the military, police and prison system necessary to keep the lefties and minorities in line).
I think that Diane should realize that Ayn Rand's novel "Atlas Shrugged" was just that, a novel and a bad one at that, not a blueprint for her twisted pseudo-philosophy.
Here is the fact: Under Reagan tax cuts, income for the government ROSE. This is a verifable fact; look it up. Budget would have been balanced just fine if Congress had not kept spending.
As for David, again you put yourself -- your little grammar-challenged, insult-throwing self -- in the position of the elite, demanding that someone else give you their money because you don't approve of how they earned it. What gives you the right? Tell me. What gives you the right to sit in judgment of how someone (someone obviously smarter and more on-the-ball than you) earns and builds their own wealth?
Diane, Reagan had a friendly Congress for most of his term. He did not propose, nor did GOP congressmen, propose a balanced budget. Why can't anyone take responsibility anymore? I thought only we liberals were bad at that....
Diane - My anal friend, you are representative of a group of uninformed individuals who believe that for every complex problem there is a simple answer, which unfortunately, is ALWAYS WRONG. You remind me of a day fly-fishing when a rabid bat insisted on attacking me for over 15 minutes and only retreated when my wildly waving fly-rod made contact, smacking it into the water where it flopped to the other shore and crawled into the brush, where I'm sure it soon achieved oblivion. You could learn a lot from that bat.
Okay, folks, we can play nicer than that! Let's stay closer to the issues and farther from toilet training and bat-batting!