Carl Davidson – 12/14/10

This page was last updated on December 21, 2010.

Sanders protects working Americans; Carl Davidson; Beaver County Times; December 14, 2010.

For some background info about Mr. Davidson, please go here. The only previous Davidson letter to the Times of which I’m aware is here. Critiques of Davidson pieces on Beaver County Reds are here and here.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“I was never so proud to be both a personal acquaintance and supporter of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, our one socialist voice in that upper-crust body, as I was during his more than eight-hour-long speech Friday.”

[RWC] Given Mr. Davidson’s affiliations since the 1960s, no one should be surprised he supports Mr. Sanders. You may recall Mr. Davidson considers Karl Marx to be a “Role Model.” Here is a link to part of the subject speech on Beaver County Reds.

“He made an eloquent, plainspoken and masterful case, laying out all the facts on the one-sided class war being waged against us by the GOP and the compromises it is wringing out of President Barack Obama.”

[RWC] I get a kick out of lefties who allege “class war” by their opposition when a major leftist tactic is to divide people into grievance/victim groups along lines of age, education, ethnicity, income, religion, sex, skin color, wealth, et cetera and then pit them against each other. In classic leftyspeak, Mr. Davidson refers to equal treatment under the law as “class war,” but demanding tax rate increases for only “the super-rich” (undefined in the letter) for tax rate increases apparently is not “class war.” Yes, this ignores the fact current income tax law is already not equal treatment under the law.

“News of his stand broadcast on C-SPAN took off on the Internet, and he got a huge following from regular working-class people who were startled to hear someone finally represent their views in those chambers.”

[RWC] Based on my experience, take this paragraph with a large grain of salt.

In an old comment on the Times website, Mr. Davidson described his definition of “working-class” thusly: “If someone else [signs your paycheck], you’re in the working class.” I suspect most business owners - large or small - (who pay SS and Medicare taxes just as the rest of us) would be surprised to learn they aren’t “in the working class.”

“In a down economy, we need increased demand far more than tax breaks for the super-rich. When the workers don’t have purchasing power and small businesses don't have customers, it’s the job of wise government to use revenues to shore up demand, through infrastructure investment and unemployment benefits.”

[RWC] What “tax breaks?” No one is talking about anyone getting “tax breaks,” except class warriors like Mr. Davidson. Unless Congress and the President act, current tax rates that have been the law of the land since 2001 and 2003 will go up on January 1, 2011. Even in the current Obama/GOP Senate proposal, the death tax rate goes up in 2011 and lefties complain that increase isn’t enough.

Based on 2008 income tax data, the top 1% of filers (“the super-rich?”) paid 38% of the total and the top 5% paid 59%. Mr. Davidson doesn’t tell us why those who pay the least in taxes should retain their tax rates but those who pay the most should have their rates increased.

What Mr. Davidson fails to acknowledge is the Obama/GOP Senate proposal does what he allegedly wants except it doesn’t punish “the super-rich” by increasing their tax rates.

Why does Mr. Davidson want to pick on “the super-rich” to have their taxes raised? Does he believe “the super-rich” deserve what they earn less than the rest of us? I know nothing of his financial status, but could Mr. Davidson be jealous of “the super-rich” and believes increasing their tax rates is a good way to get even?

Note how Mr. Davidson refers to the “wise government.” Ignoring the whole taking of liberty thing by redistributing paychecks, is this the same “wise government” that can’t balance its budget, currently has us $14 trillion in debt ($45k per citizen, $125k per taxpayer), and has Medicare & Socialist Security rocketing to bankruptcy?

The other problem with the “wise government” comment is its implication those of us actually funding the government through our hard work can’t be trusted to use our paychecks wisely. That’s why Mr. Davidson and other lefties say our paychecks must be looted to fund “infrastructure investment and unemployment benefits.”

“But it seems we’ll need some two-sided class war to get what will really help us all. Sanders opened it up, now we have to carry it forward.”

[RWC] What a hoot! Mr. Davidson and his fellow travelers are the only guys engaging in “class war.” Accusing the opposition for what lefties themselves are doing is a classic lefty tactic.

Finally, is it coincidence both Mr. Davidson and today’s editorial “First step” refer to “the super-rich?”