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Don’t tax job-creators; Clyde Parsons; Beaver County Times; August 10, 2011.
Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.
“It took me awhile, but I have to agree with Republicans on not taxing the rich.”
[RWC] Based on 2008 income tax data, the top 1% (AGI greater than $380,000) of filers paid 38% of the total and the top 5% (AGI greater than $160,000) paid 59%. If that’s “not taxing the rich,” it would be interesting to learn Mr. Parsons’ idea of “taxing the rich.” In comparison, the bottom 50% (AGI less than $33,000) paid less than 2.6% of the total.
As a reminder, for a full two years Democrats in Congress and the White House had the power to increase tax rates for “the rich” and there was nothing Republicans could do to stop it, as with Obamacare. If increasing tax rates on “the rich” is such a great idea, why didn’t Democrats do it when they had the chance?
Though Mr. Parsons didn’t mention them, President Obama’s definition of millionaires and billionaires is people earning $200,000/yr and above for single federal income tax filers and $250,000/yr and above for joint returns.
“They do create jobs. They buy Mercedes-Benzes from Germany, Ferraris from Italy, Rolls-Royces from England and diamonds from South Africa.”
[RWC] “[T]he rich” don’t buy any Mercedes built at the MB plant in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama? Does this also mean “the rich” aren’t buying any BMWs built at the plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina? I bet those evil SOBs even bypass local dealers and buy the cars directly from the factory and send their cars back to Germany, Italy, and England for maintenance. Damn those rich traitors! Maybe cars bought from the U.S. plants don’t count because they’re nonunion plants.
Thank goodness the poor are stepping in and buying Cadillacs, sending their kids to private schools while also paying public school taxes, going on vacations and staying at expensive hotels, hiring people to maintain their landscaping, et cetera.
“So, they do create jobs.”
[RWC] I’m confused. I thought “the rich” were spending all their money on private jets. You know, those things that provide jobs to employees in the private jet industry who build, fly, fuel, maintain, supply, etc. jets plus their companies’ suppliers and so on. How can they have any money left for foreign cars?
“And by cutting Medicare, they will be creating jobs for Americans in funeral homes and cemeteries.”
[RWC] People on Medicare are immortal and thus don’t “creat[e] jobs for Americans in funeral homes and cemeteries?”
It looks like Mr. Parsons takes after former one-term-wonder U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) who claimed in 2009 the Republican approach to healthcare was “Don’t get sick, and if you do get sick, die quickly.” MSNBC likely didn’t tell Mr. Parsons Obamacare cuts $500 billion from Medicare over 10 years and not one Republican voted for it.
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