An article headlined "Voters willing to tax wealthy" in Friday's San Francisco Chronicle bothered me - a lot.
It bothers me knowing that my fellow Americans, who represent a nation where those who work hard get ahead and live out the American dream, have succumbed to class envy that defies imagination.
The article was on a Field Poll survey of voters on the tax increases proposed on the November ballot by Gov. Jerry Brown and the California teachers union. Apparently 58 percent of Californians plan to support Brown's tax increase.
Brown - like most Democrats - believes it's a good idea to tax the only ones who have money to invest in a bad economy. If you make more than $1 million a year, Brown wants to increase your taxes over a five-year period. Brown proposes a 3 percent increase if you make between $1 million and $1,999,999 and a 5 percent increase if you make over $2 million a year.
A majority of California voters polled by Field apparently like the idea hitting rich people to generate $35 billion over the period of the tax. This is one Californian who makes less than $60,000 a year who finds that concept absolutely appalling.
I'm just going to put myself in a rich man's shoes for the sake of this exercise to see what this feels like. I scrimp and save and invest all my life. In many cases I do without so that some day I will have it easy. I work many hard hours. I take great risks with my investments. Like anyone, I lose my shirt sometimes. But I keep plugging away. I use my intellectual knowledge and take the initiative and I finally find myself doing well financially. I've earned what I have; it didn't come easy. But there's a growing number of people out there in this "land of opportunity for all" who are jealous at my success. Nothing would make them feel better about themselves than to see me lose some of what I have in the name of "fairness." They want government to excise from me what they are unwilling to pay themselves. In short, they feel they are elevating themselves by sticking it to me.
You heard right. California wage-earners, the article, says, are unwilling to increase their own taxes, including a half-cent sales tax increase. Field Poll Director Mark DiCamillo states that there is a streak of selfishness in Democrats, women, minority groups, liberals, Bay Area voters and of course, those making less than $400,000 a year. He stated: "...the other part is the something-for-nothing idea, that it doesn't affect me and money is needed, so sure."
Meanwhile, the Field Poll notes Republicans are opposed to tax increases across the board.
If you think about it intellectually honestly, it's really not much different from somebody taking it upon themselves to break into your house and take the big screen TV YOU earned since they didn't work hard for one themselves. They help themselves to your jewelry collection, maybe your computer and your cell phones and gun. They feel they are somehow entitled to your property because you have it and they don't and they want it.
Only voters aren't willing to steal themselves; they want government to steal for them. After all, making the "rich man" pay means they don't have to pay as much.
Occupy Movement types can talk all day about fairness. Why, then, do they not clamor for the lack of fairness represented in the truth that half of Americans pay no income tax at all? They seem to not want to believe that the top 10 percent of all Americans pay 70 percent of all taxes. So I ask, how fair is that exactly?
Left leaning media types won't point out the lack of fairness. In fact, they even railed on Mitt Romney for "only" paying a 15 percent tax rate while failing to disclose that as a retiree Romney's investment income is subject to the capital gains tax. Romney paid every bit of tax he was legally required to pay, yet the media portrayed him as a rich man who cheated the tax system.
Class envy is indeed dangerous gamesmanship and creates dangerous policy. But as George Bernard Shaw once said, "A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul."
How do you feel? Let Jeff know at jeffb@cerescourier.com
It bothers me knowing that my fellow Americans, who represent a nation where those who work hard get ahead and live out the American dream, have succumbed to class envy that defies imagination.
The article was on a Field Poll survey of voters on the tax increases proposed on the November ballot by Gov. Jerry Brown and the California teachers union. Apparently 58 percent of Californians plan to support Brown's tax increase.
Brown - like most Democrats - believes it's a good idea to tax the only ones who have money to invest in a bad economy. If you make more than $1 million a year, Brown wants to increase your taxes over a five-year period. Brown proposes a 3 percent increase if you make between $1 million and $1,999,999 and a 5 percent increase if you make over $2 million a year.
A majority of California voters polled by Field apparently like the idea hitting rich people to generate $35 billion over the period of the tax. This is one Californian who makes less than $60,000 a year who finds that concept absolutely appalling.
I'm just going to put myself in a rich man's shoes for the sake of this exercise to see what this feels like. I scrimp and save and invest all my life. In many cases I do without so that some day I will have it easy. I work many hard hours. I take great risks with my investments. Like anyone, I lose my shirt sometimes. But I keep plugging away. I use my intellectual knowledge and take the initiative and I finally find myself doing well financially. I've earned what I have; it didn't come easy. But there's a growing number of people out there in this "land of opportunity for all" who are jealous at my success. Nothing would make them feel better about themselves than to see me lose some of what I have in the name of "fairness." They want government to excise from me what they are unwilling to pay themselves. In short, they feel they are elevating themselves by sticking it to me.
You heard right. California wage-earners, the article, says, are unwilling to increase their own taxes, including a half-cent sales tax increase. Field Poll Director Mark DiCamillo states that there is a streak of selfishness in Democrats, women, minority groups, liberals, Bay Area voters and of course, those making less than $400,000 a year. He stated: "...the other part is the something-for-nothing idea, that it doesn't affect me and money is needed, so sure."
Meanwhile, the Field Poll notes Republicans are opposed to tax increases across the board.
If you think about it intellectually honestly, it's really not much different from somebody taking it upon themselves to break into your house and take the big screen TV YOU earned since they didn't work hard for one themselves. They help themselves to your jewelry collection, maybe your computer and your cell phones and gun. They feel they are somehow entitled to your property because you have it and they don't and they want it.
Only voters aren't willing to steal themselves; they want government to steal for them. After all, making the "rich man" pay means they don't have to pay as much.
Occupy Movement types can talk all day about fairness. Why, then, do they not clamor for the lack of fairness represented in the truth that half of Americans pay no income tax at all? They seem to not want to believe that the top 10 percent of all Americans pay 70 percent of all taxes. So I ask, how fair is that exactly?
Left leaning media types won't point out the lack of fairness. In fact, they even railed on Mitt Romney for "only" paying a 15 percent tax rate while failing to disclose that as a retiree Romney's investment income is subject to the capital gains tax. Romney paid every bit of tax he was legally required to pay, yet the media portrayed him as a rich man who cheated the tax system.
Class envy is indeed dangerous gamesmanship and creates dangerous policy. But as George Bernard Shaw once said, "A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul."
How do you feel? Let Jeff know at jeffb@cerescourier.com
