Skip to main content

Hillary and Bernie

Both Sanders and Clinton have promoted several new programs from free college tuition to health care for all illegal immigrants.  Some sound good.  Some believe the time has come for such government benefits, services, or beneficence, or whatever you want to call them.   Yet both agree there must be a pathway to funding such really expensive programs. Both believe we should tax the filthy rich, and who's not for them paying more.  After all, their proportional wealth has increased dramatically in the last decade or two.

So, with their programs and tax plans in hand they push their give-aways hoping for your vote.

NOTE.  Before going on, let's ask.  Where are you?  If you're reading this, your probably neither filthy rich nor filthy poor.  You're in the middle.  You pay taxes, and likely a lot of them.  But you surely would enjoy those multimillionaires and billionaires paying more.

Suppose either is elected.  Suppose they implement their programs. Suppose they push through their generous tax plans, aimed of course at the rich.  The programs become law.  Now let's reap in the cash.   They soon discover what Panamanian authorities did only weeks ago when they raided the Panama City headquarters of the Mossack Fonseca law firm.  What was found were 10 million documents of how this firm set up financial accounts set up in tax-haven countries for the super rich to conceal their funds, and to avoid paying taxes.

The upshot here is that the government will come up far short in its quest for tax funds from the rich.   The consequence is that the next tier or two down will be slapped with increased taxes, and likely increased considerably.  This means you and I will pay for even more free stuff - for somebody else.

We cry out, "Let's close the loopholes and then get the money."  You will here this.  Attempts will be made.  Alas, it is too late, the money is already gone.  New laws will be written by a congress influenced ( through generous campaign contributions) by those needing or wanting to conceal cash.   We lose again.  Yet, somebody must pay the price for the stuff.  It will be you and I that covers the tab.  The rich will stay rich, and very rich it seems.  Those in the middle will get poorer;  the poor will get some free stuff;  the filthy rich will remain so, and probably filthier still.

If its Cruz or Trump elected, there won't be as much free stuff.    Yet the rich are essentially politically neutral, benefiting regardless of who is in power.

Promising to hit the rich is a non-starter that only the ignorant don't understand.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Please Comment.

Popular posts from this blog

Behavioral Science and Problem-Solving

I.                                       I.                 Introduction.                Concerning our general behavior, it’s high about time we all had some understanding of how we operate on ourselves, and it is just as important how we are operated on by others. This is the wheelhouse of behavioral sciences. It is a vast subject. It touches our lives constantly. It’s influence is pervasive and can be so subtle we never notice it. Behavioral sciences profoundly affect our ability and success at problem-solving, from the elementary level to highly complex wicked problems. This is discussed in Section IV. We begin with the basics of behavioral sciences, Section II, and then through the lens of multiple categories and examples, Section III. II.     ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Principles of Insufficiency and Sufficiency

   The principles we use but don't know it.  1.      Introduction . Every field, scientific or otherwise, rests on foundational principles—think buoyancy, behavior, or democracy. Here, we explore a unique subset: principles modified by "insufficiency" and "sufficiency." While you may never have heard of them, you use them often. These terms frame principles that blend theory, practicality, and aspiration, by offering distinct perspectives. Insufficiency often implies inaction unless justified, while sufficiency suggests something exists or must be done. We’ll examine key examples and introduce a new principle with potential significance. As a principle of principles of these is that something or some action is not done enough while others may be done too much. The first six (§2-6) of our principles are in the literature, and you can easily search them online. The others are relatively new, but fit the concepts in the real world. At times, these pri...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Lemming Instinct

  In certain vital domains, a pervasive mediocrity among practitioners can stifle genuine advancement. When the intellectual output of a field is predominantly average, it inevitably produces research of corresponding quality. Nevertheless, some of these ideas, by sheer chance or perhaps through effective dissemination, will inevitably gain traction. A significant number of scholars and researchers will gravitate towards these trends, contributing to and propagating further work along these established lines. Such a trajectory allows an initially flawed concept to ascend to the status of mainstream orthodoxy. However, over an extended period, these prevailing ideas invariably fail to withstand rigorous scrutiny; they are ultimately and conclusively disproven. The disheartening pattern then reveals itself: rather than genuine progress, an equally unvalidated or incorrect idea often supplants the discredited one, swiftly establishing its own dominance. This cycle perpetuates, ensurin...
Post a Comment
Read more