Yesterday, Joe Biden was in my neck of the woods, sitting in a Town Hall with about 2,000 members of the Obama Nation. One lady in the audience asked him this question: "What do I tell my friends who make over 250k" to which, the eloquent Joe Biden replied "It's time to be patriotic, that's what you say to them."
When I first heard this, I had to walk out of the room and calm down. I didn't want to put my foot through the TV. Biden has come completely unhinged here. First of all, let me explain again that the revenue from these additional taxes on the "rich" is not going towards paying off our national debt. It's not going back into balancing our current budget. This extra revenue will be used to:
*Cover the tax breaks he is promising to the lower-middle class.
*Cover the taxes the Seniors making under 50K won't be paying.
*Cover the cost of his National Health Insurance Plan.
*Cover the cost of his increased unemployment insurance plan.
These are only a few of his new Social Programs. Under his Blueprint, he says he will pay for the other programs by decreasing discretionary spending (bringing us out of Iraq) and cutting wasteful spending. So I won't address those programs.
I want to re-iterate the fact that I fall into the Lower-middle class category, I would personally benefit from the Obama tax plan. I'm just saying this to make it clear, I'm speaking from an unbiased position.
If, in fact, Obama's concern was to pay off the National Debt, then I could at least see how he could call it "Patriotic". Even then, I feel that we are all Americans and we are all responsible for the National debt, so I think taxes should be raised across the board, not just those making over 250k. I mean with the Bush tax cuts running out (equallying a 4.5% increase), the additional 2-4% tax increase, and the 3-6% increase in Social Security contribution, people making over 250k are looking at an additional 10-15% tax increase. That's just on personal taxes for their families. That's not including the 5% increase in corporate taxes and the 10% increase in capital gains taxes (which is applied to all income groups).
So, essentially what Biden is saying is that if you don't feel this is fair, you are unpatriotic? If you disagree with a National Health Insurance plan, you are unpatriotic. If you don't agree with increased unemployment insurance you are unpatriotic.
Look, I'm not saying I don't care about people. I think it's a stereotype that republicans are spoiled rich people with no concern for anybody but themselves. But that is so far from the truth. I personally will have around $5,000 in charitable contributions this year, between my church, St. Jude's Hospital, and the Christian Children's fund. 95% of the people in my church will have at least that much in charitable contributions. My church as a whole spends hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in the community and various programs. Republicans are not saying not to help the needy, what we are saying is that it is not the role of the government to dictate who we help. I think Republicans are probably the most giving group around.
So to bring this back around, for Biden to say it's patriotic to tax those successful people who make 250K is crazy to me. Putting them on a guilt trip to appeal to lower income people is as wrong as telling somebody on welfare it's their fault deal with it....equally as ignorant.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
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Under the "Back to Basics" post from a couple of days ago i touched on the exact same thing Tony is refereing to in this post. What is the role and responsibilty of govt? Tony states that "Republicans are not saying not to help the needy, what we are saying is that it is not the role of the government to dictate who we help." I couldn't agree more. Let the good nature of the American Citizen have an opportunity to do the right thing and be charitable. To help their neighbor in need, to contribute to the causes they most identify with. Where there is a need there will be people to meet it. That is what happened after Katrina. I can't tell you how many people i know who went to the affected areas after that storm to help. My church alone sent teams of people and trailers full of supplies and materials to help those in need. I feel that it is this same inner driven human connection that will show itself through the blessed (or fortunate or rich, or what have you)giving to help those in need in other areas of life as well. This includes many of the social programs that the govt has now. The govt. could help drive the private sector solution by establishing additional incentives to those filling these needs. This would also have the effect of smaller govt. less intrusion, less regulation and so on. As an added bonus the efficency and dollar for dollar effectiveness of the charitable monies would be greater as the private sector almost always does things in a more streamlined and effective manner than the govt. They have to as their income, unlike the govts, depends on it. A second point Tony touches on was also mentioned in my comments. Why is it acceptable to penalize success? If we are all Americans than we should all contribute equaly as Americans to the costs of running America. I know again that this is a simple statement to make and there are many many factors that must come into play here, but the principal that all should shoulder the burdens equally is a sound idea, in my opinion. Why should someone who works hard, or in some other way, is successful financially, be penalized for that success in the form of higher taxes. Not in the shear amount they pay but in the percentages that are used to calculate the amount they pay. Especially since they are the ones who most likely use the least govt resources. Take from the rich to give to the poor, that is not democracy, that is socialism. That never works.
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