I think two things:
- If you have a lot of money and talent and don’t use that wealth and skill in order to make your community a better place you’re an asshole.
- If you steal money and property from those that have it in order to make your community a better place you’re an asshole, a thief and a dreamer.
And if you are active politically in the Democratic process to try to solve problems and build a better society you are true to American values and American history. If you consider taxation to be theft you are acting contrary to American values.
And if you are active politically in the Democratic process to try to solve problems and build a better society you are true to American values and American history.
If that involves relying on those that have and can do in order to allow those that won’t to live a life of dependence, that is NOT American. It was never meant to be that we would create a system where entire populations of people live off the labor of another.
If you consider taxation to be theft you are acting contrary to American values.
There is no argument that taxation is theft and a violent act. There is only debate surrounding how much of said violence we should willfully inflict on our people.
If you need evidence of this fact consider the wealthy who insist that they be taxed more yet refuse to voluntarily give up money simply by writing a check. Look at Buffet. He’s the lead cheerleader for such nonsense and yet he uses every trick in the book to avoid paying taxes. When he donates to charity he donates stock that he purchased years ago at rates far below their current value; and he gets to write off the whole amount.
He knows it’s violence. He knows that he won’t pay his taxes unless forced. Every ration democrat who voted for Obama is going to work like hell to avoid the tax man. No one does this out of the goodness of their heart.
We agree on something: living a life of dependence is un-American, and to the extent that the safety net and social welfare programs do that, they need to be changed. I don’t think people want to live off the labor of others though. When the economy was booming unemployment was very low and the work force was expanding. I think most people want to work.
Buffet and others who want taxes raised should NOT write more checks themselves. That would be stupid. They want to change the rules so everyone has to pay more. People should and do rationally pay the least they owe, that’s expected and proper. That’s why the debate is about the rules for everyone. It’s the only way to avoid the free rider problem.
Buffet and others who want taxes raised should NOT write more checks themselves. That would be stupid. They want to change the rules so everyone has to pay more.
Then they should admit that. Instead they walk around saying, “Raise my taxes.”
Buffet doesn’t wanna pay more taxes, he wants OTHER people to pay more taxes. And he should admit that.
He wants himself *and* others to pay more taxes. He doesn’t want to pay more if others won’t. That seems rational. That’s the only way to avoid the free rider problem.
He wants himself *and* others to pay more taxes. He doesn’t want to pay more if others won’t.
But he’s exploiting every trick in the book. If he wanted to pay more taxes he simply could.
I find it incredibly hypocritical to claim to want to pay higher taxes but when asked why you just don’t, he replies that it’s because others don’t.
Clearly he wants higher tax rates. He doesn’t personally want to pay higher taxes, but is willing to do so if others do as part of a larger effort to increase revenues. Heck, I do the same thing. I want higher tax rates on my income range, but I won’t pay them if they aren’t put on everyone. Of course all that is moot since my wife is a CPA and she neither wants higher tax rates on us, nor would she ever do anything to pay one penny more than we need to pay!
but is willing to do so if others do as part of a larger effort to increase revenues.
This is not true. He uses words like, “Raise MY taxes.” He personalizes it. And that’s crap.
It’s a rhetorical device – and an effective one, I think. Bill Clinton does the same thing, even Obama has said that. You’re taking it too literally, he’s really campaigning for a general tax increase.
Buffet is making a dishonest argument . He is rich . You can’t tax the wealth he has . You can only tax his income . Think about it . No think about it . Why do Billionaires suddenly become Marxists in old age ? When he was getting rich he was a capitalist pig . This is to keep the nouveau riche out of the club .
And this is not just to keep millionaires out . Those pesky small business owners making $ 300,000 need to continue to work their 80 hour work weeks with out getting uppity .
Don’t call Buffet a Marxist, Alan. One – that’s an obsolete term, it marginalizes you to use it. Second, Buffet is a capitalist. You may think he’s a capitalist who wants high rates slightly higher than you do, but he’s still a capitalist. You do make a fair point on taxing wealth vs. taxing income. Most of what he has is wealth.
that’s an obsolete term,
What is the term that we should use to describe someone who wants to take from those who have and give to those who are favored?
I think 99.9% of Republicans favor some form of social safety net, social security, and various forms of tax incentives and breaks, subsidies, etc. So, since just about everyone wants to take from those who have and give to those they favor for some reason, I think the proper term for that is “almost everyone.”