While Republicans in Washington are drooling to cut entitlement programs to reduce the deficit (impacting the people who are least able to cope with such cuts, of course), it’s important to point out all the lines of the tax code that are written specifically for protection of accumulated wealth –for very rich people. The wealthy in America have many, many more entitlements from the government by means of the tax code than the so called “takers” about whom they love to chant.
These tax loop holes that enable corporations and the very wealthy to basically not pay any taxes are entitlement programs for the wealthy. They cost the US billions in revenue.
So if Republicans want to cut entitlements, why not also do it for the “entitled” of the country who refuse to pay their fair share of taxes? Are the somehow “more entitled” than the rest of the country simply because they have more money?
Apparently so. All of the anecdotal evidence of the people at Mitt Romney fund raisers who call the non-wealthy “common people” seems to support that being rich means being better.
And US Senators seem to agree:
“Mitt Romney shouldn’t be criticized for using off-shore tax havens because “it’s really American to avoid paying taxes, legally,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Tuesday.”
– Huffington Post
Real patriotic capitalism, there, Lindsey. The actions of Mitt Romney and this onslaught of reaction from the ultra-wealthy is missing the point. Yes, you can move your money and hide (horde) it away because your money is the most important thing to you. It’s totally legal, no denying that. But it doesn’t FEEL right to the rest of us who are not entitled to take advantage of the system because our bank accounts don’t qualify. Americans don’t want elected officials who care more about money than they do about people. THAT’S the issue.
If you want to horde your money, go for it, I’d probably do the same – but don’t run for office claiming you care about “the common people (who) don’t get it“. We need our leaders to have empathy, not MHS (money hoarding syndrome)
Everyone complains that Washington is packed full of hypocrisy… ok… so why don’t we do something about it?
Side note: As I am writing this I saw a new commercial for “Defend My Dividend”… amazing. I have a bit of income from dividends, but you know what: tax that. I can’t even afford it, but I say tax it. The bottom line is the United States needs more revenue and that’s done with taxes.
But back on topic of Wealthy Entitlement Programs:
So, House Republicans… OK… let’s cut entitlement programs. Let’s see if you can stick to your guns, or if you’re just as bad as everyone else who came before you: start by making the tax code fair and not losing billions in revenue via the ultra-wealthy tax entitlement programs.
