A month ago Joe Biden was unfairly bashed by Republicans for saying that those making over $250,000 a year should view paying more taxes as patriotic.
He was right, but didn't go far enough. Everybody should see paying taxes as patriotic.
It's so obvious. Where the heck does the money come from for government funding of our military, roads, public schools, scientific research, Medicare, Social Security, and the other programs that keep our country strong?
Taxes, almost entirely.
So I don't understand the conservative notion that not paying taxes is a badge of honor. The way I see it, it's a mark of me-me-me selfishness.
Barack Obama wants middle class people to get a tax cut. Those making over $250,000 a year, like the temporarily famous Joe the Plumber (if his business dream ever becomes reality) would see their marginal tax rate rise from 36% to 39%.
Great idea.
Say Joe made $300,000. He'd pay 3% more on the $50,000 over $250,000. That's $1,500, ½ of 1 percent of Joe's total income, which would go to help pay for the pressing needs facing our country.
He should love to fork out a little extra, since he can afford it. And I wish Obama would use that very word more often when talking about taxes:
Love. We often say, "It's better to give than to receive." Isn't that the essence of love, giving of yourself?
Yet when it comes to giving to people less fortunate than us through taxation, many resist – wanting to keep their money for themselves, figuring, I guess, that getting another flat screen TV is a higher social value than improving the health of low income children.
Today McCain and Palin basically said that Obama is a socialist for wanting the rich to pay a little more in taxes. Well, if that's true, then Ronald Reagan was a socialist. Also, George H.W. Bush.
It's pitiful to see the McCain-Palin campaign reduced to name-calling. The further they sink in the polls, the more desperate they become to pull Obama down.
They haven't realized yet (but they will on election day) that voters are hungry for honest positive talk about how the United States can bounce back from the current financial crisis.
Obama is saying that McCain is "out of touch." In Missouri 100,000 people agreed with him, showing that love and patriotism trumps name-calling.
The problem isn't taxes. Of course government needs money to run. It's the idea that somebody owes proportionately more than someone else. Why is it that only the rich need to share the love? If you love your country so much why don't you volunteer to fork over an extra 3% of your income? Hell, while you're at it, how about an extra 10%? Put off the new motorcycle for a few years. How does that feel? Really. Do you have that much faith in government that it's going to make things all better given its history of screw-ups? Look at the mess we're in. I know, it's Bush's fault and Barney Frank, Chris Dodd and the rest of Congress have done a fine job and Obama's gonna see to it that the money confiscated from the rich is spent wisely because he is the One. Dream on.
El condor pasa
Posted by: condor | October 18, 2008 at 09:40 PM
Your more then welcome to pay more tax, maybe you should sell your home for a 1 bedroom and send the extra for Lib tax. Regan cut the tax rate and did collect more, but he did it by cutting taxes and creating jobs, more jobs more taxes collected. You want the government telling you what you can own or how much money you need? With people like you we know why the country has problems. Let me guess either a retired government employee or college prof.
Posted by: 4myfun | October 27, 2008 at 06:21 PM
I agree with 4myfun above.
Obama speaks of economic justice.
This concept means something different to him than to me...
Justice means getting what you deserve.
Economic justice, then, means getting the fruit of your labors or what you have earned. Does someone DESERVE what they have not earned? Do they DESERVE some of what YOU have earned?
Economic injustice is getting the fruit of others' labors and not your own, or getting what you do not deserve.
I think we will be seeing more of what we earn going to those who do not deserve it.
Rather than economic justice we will see more economic injustice under Obama.
This is not to say that economic justice exists under the current administration or existed under previous administrations, or would exist in a McCain administration.
I am saying that economic injustice will be more prevalent if Obama is able to enact his proposals.
Posted by: code 5 | October 29, 2008 at 01:24 PM
I think you have a great blog. I also think your writings are well thought out and intelligent. However, I respectfully disagree on your views of taxation. I think that we should pay taxes to cover:
Our military, police, fire, EMS. That's it.
The government has proven to be incaple of handling our hard earned money responsibly.
We should reduce the size of government and allow the free market, free choice and charity take care of the rest.
I am not greedy or selfish, I simply demand the CHOICE to assist those in need. I belong to civic organizations and really enjoy making a difference in the community. I also donate all I can afford to charity (a greater % than Palin, Biden or Obama).
I think it's wrong for our inefficient, irresponsible government to force me to pay for: scientific research, social security, welfare, medicare, medicade, farm subsidies, etc.
Our Constitution gives no specific authority for these programs. If offered they should be offered by the individual states.
Posted by: Dirtywater24 | October 31, 2008 at 03:55 PM
The death tax, which obama is big on, is immoral and by extension so is obama.
A person through their efforts and talents builds an estate to pass on to their family, chairity or whatever, but the government comes in when they die and says we get 55% of the money (already taxed when it was earned and taxed again when it grew in investments) to do with what we want in the name of "spreading the wealth around".
Somebody justify this for me please.
Posted by: code 5 | October 31, 2008 at 04:59 PM