Time to Talk About the Buffett Rule

[Gregg]

I am arguing that those who earn more income should pay a higher percentage of their income to taxes in part because a lower percentage of their income is necessary for them to pay for the necessities of life and they have more disposable income.

The average grade in our schools is a "C". If all students who put forth the effort to get straight "A" report cards would simply hand over an appropriate percentage of their work to all "F" students then everyone would have a "C" and we would all be much happier.

Additionally, I just think it's ethically right for those who benefit from our economic system to contribute to making life a little less difficult for those don't benefit from it. If I didn't feel that way I would say that as a nation we should dismantle ALL social welfare programs and all regulations passed curb the natural tendancies of business that were passed during the Progressive Era.

Would you want to eliminate all Social Security, minimum wage, workplace safety, child labor laws and welfare and just let business go wild doing whatever they wanted unchecked to make money? If not, where would you draw the line? Isn't any line arbitrary?

I find it extremely ironic that in one paragraph you talk about "those (who) don't benefit from (our economic system)" and in the very next paragraph you put forth a laundry list of benefits provided to every member of our society specifically derived from our economic system. Your list covers multiple items that are provided to workers, the members of society who actually contribute. It also lists one blanket term, "welfare", through which those who do contribute support those who can't/don't/won't.

There are countless benefits provided to ALL members of our society by the government that are available to people regardless of their level of contribution. National parks, a strong national defense, access to airports, representation, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac, Department of Energy Grants, the Center for Disease Control, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the interstate highway system, the Federal Reserve, FEMA, the Small Business Administration, Medicare/Medicaid, the Supreme Court, public education and on and on and on. ALL of those programs and thousands and thousands more are FULLY SUPPORTED by people who take advantage of our economic system and then pay their taxes. They are all made available to ANYBODY in this country, even those who pay nothing in taxes and so do not support the programs. It is egregious to say there are people in this country who do not benefit from being here.

I am of the Robin Hood camp. And unapologetic about it.

It's that first seemingly innocuous little word in "take from the rich and give to the poor" that is the problem. Take. To get into one's hands, possession, control, etc., by force or artifice: to take a bone from a snarling dog. To seize or capture: to take an enemy town; to take a prisoner. There are many examples of governments that elected to take legally acquired assets from its citizens by force, through legislation or otherwise. If you take a close look I'm not sure the desired outcome was achieved in any of those cases. But I'm sure it will be different this time.