Rich Guys For Higher Taxes

Warren Buffett: American patriot. What else could you call a guy who loves America so much he wants to give it money?

With all the counterintuitive hoo-ha about tax cuts for the rich going on, it's easy to get bewildered. With everyone wanting to push the deficit into the stratosphere to help millionaires and billionaires, you might wonder if you missed something vital and that, somehow, this must all make sense... There's them blue dogs. There's them Tea Party "populists" and then there's Obama - a guy who's never met a Republican idea he won't surrender to - all touting tax cuts for people who don't need them. It's bipartisan Bizarro-world government: help only those who absolutely don't need it, screw those who do.

But there are many and varied voices of opposition. Lots of rich folks like Warren Buffet and Abigail Disney want to pay more taxes and are arguing against the busted 'trickle down economics' theory that pro-tax cutters use like a rag to polish their trillion dollar turd. Now a group of America's luckiest have got together under the banner "Patriotic Millionaires For Fiscal Truth". Say they:

We have done very well over the last several years. Now, during our nation’s moment of need, we are eager to do our fair share. We don’t need more tax cuts, and we understand that cutting our taxes will increase the deficit and the debt burden carried by other taxpayers. The country needs to meet its financial obligations in a just and responsible way. Letting tax cuts for incomes over $1,000,000 expire, is an important step in that direction.

Conservatives have a lot of trouble using the words 'taxes' and 'patriotism' together in the same sentence. For them, patriotism is an abstract enthusiasm for flags and symbols with no practical application and no sacrifice or cost involved (for them). But what better definition of love of country could there really be than actually wanting to pay to help make the place better with your own money???

These tax cuts make no sense. Most of the country sees that. A lot of rich people see that. Maybe those pr*cks in Washington are just looking out for their own selves? Most of them are well into the $250,000 bracket themselves... are they just legislating on their own behalf?

Will common sense ever be able to break free from the crushing gravity of self-interest? Doubt it.