Thursday, October 23, 2008

Huff Post Pick Comment to a GREAT ARTICLE

Robert Creamer has a great essay on the Huffington Post sharing what he believes America and this election are really about. Creamer writes,
"Division and fear are not American values. In fact the "real" American values are the traditional progressive values that have defined the soul of America from the moment that Thomas Jefferson crafted the words of the Declaration of Independence.In the election thirteen days from now, Americans will make a choice of leaders. But they will also determine whether those traditional progressive American values will replace the radical conservatism that has usurped their position as the defining frame of American politics . . .
The decision voters face November 4th is in fact a choice of what will be the "real America". It is a decision about the vision and values that define what America will be in the future.
Barack Obama understands that society is not a zero sum game. He understands that you don't have to be poor for me to by rich; that you don't have to be sick for me to be healthy; that by giving every child a good education, the growing store of human knowledge will make all of us smarter. "
A comment I posted in reply to a comment on this piece was marked as a "HuffPost Pick." Here is the original comment:
barnettkyspr - I have to ask, where does it say that just because I went to school (and actually spent my time learning and taking full advantage of the public education I recieved), then later spent years learning a trade, serving my time as an apprentice, and journeyman at jobs making crappy wages but worked hard, made the sacrifices and took the risks it took to start a very small business and finally made a little bit of a success of myself, that I owe those who AREN"T WILLING TO DO THE SAME a check every month? Notice, I didn't say unable, I said unwilling. From where I come from, you make your own way in this world. Nobody, especially the Government, (which is us taxpayers) owes us a successful life. If being "progressive" means going out in this world and working hard and making something of yourself and then giving away all of your hard earned income to those who aren't willing to do the same, then what is the point of being successfu?. It kind of takes away your ambition doesn't it?
My reply:
HuffPost's Pick
You have a very warped persepective. First of all, paying taxes does not take away "all" of your income, as you state in your comment above. Secondly, it is well-proven by objective studies that those in the upper tax brackets are not motivated solely by money, so increasing the amount of tax they pay will not affect the amount or effectiveness of the work they do. And this is the very top of the income heap we're talking about, not the small businessman making $300,000 but Carly Fiorina with her $42 million golden parachute. Thirdly, much of what Obama is talking about is not actually raising taxes, but ENFORCING the tax laws that we have to close the loopholes that allow many corporations and high income people to pay NO TAX WHATSOEVER or very little tax. Fourthly, are you a Christian? If so, I guess your Bible is missing the part about how it is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. Fifthly, whereas no one owes anyone a "successful" life (your words) a decent society provides for the education and well-being of its children, its elderly, and its ill. THESE are the people who will benefit from Barack Obama's policies - not the kind of "slacker" you seem to envision.
http://obama-bidenforthewin.blogspot.com

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

You are incredibly naive if you think that increasing taxes will not affect the behavior of the wealthy. The entire Internal Revenue tax code has a profound effect on the behavior of taxpayers. Increasing taxes on corporations won't do anything but harm the very people you claim need help. The corporations will raise prices or lay off employees before they will reduce their profit. Please don't attempt to hide behind your so-called Christianity. True Christians help the needy without having their money forcefully taken from them by the government. Obama represents an evil that is truly frightening. His mentors and alliances all shared similar Marxist views. He attended a church for 20 years, founded on Black Liberation theology, whose founder James Cone said was a combination of Christianity, Marxism and Islam. The white man is considered to be evil. You are deluding yourself if you think that Obama represents change. He represents the same old failed socialist policies that have never worked no matter where they are tried. If you like Socialism so much, try living in Cuba. You have been brainwashed and are obviously uneducated.

Ann said...

Well, I might be naive, but I am certainly not uneducated. I have degrees from Georgetown and the University of Chicago, with additional coursework at Cornell and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I believe it is ignorant to accept what McCain and Palin are blathering about socialism. The 21st century economy is certainly more complex than Sarah Palin understands - it was revealed today that the state of Alaska offered $500 million in incentives to secure the pipeline deal that were not necessary. To understand the international trade picture, listen to Charlie Rose's interview of Paul Krugman: http://www.charlierose.com/shows/2008/10/23/1/a-conversation-with-paul-krugman-2008-nobel-prize-winner-economics

As far as Christianity goes, the point is the hypocrisy of those who claim to be Christian but don't get the point behind taxing the very wealthy at a higher rate than the middle class or the poor. Think of that 80's phrase "What Would Jesus Do?" If you remember, he was especially kind to tax collectors like Zaccheus!

Anonymous said...

No doubt.