(2 pm. – promoted by ek hornbeck)
Lately we’ve been hearing a lot of complaining from people who have the least about which to complain, the wealthy. From wealthy Nevada cattleman Cliven Bundy who thinks he should be let his cattle graze for free on public land while he pockets the proceeds to poor put upon Koch bothers who pen whining op-eds bemoaning the unfairness of their critics.
MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, host of “All In,” discusses these wealthy welfare cowboys with former Clinton labor secretary Robert Reich and venture capitalist Nick Hanauer
The 1% as victims? That’s rich!
By Eugene Robinson
An ugly outbreak of whiny victimhood is ravaging some of America’s most exclusive Zip codes. It’s as if some 1 percenters suddenly fear that old warning: “When the people shall have nothing more to eat, they will eat the rich.” [..]
Tax cuts and deregulation have dominated federal policy since the 1980s; during this time, inequality has spiraled out of control. If conservatives have nothing better to sell than more tax cuts and more deregulation, it’s no wonder that people are tuning in to what the other side has to say.
Income tax rates for the highest earners remain quite low, in historical terms, while earnings on capital gains – including some “gains” that look a lot like regular income – have been taxed at a measly 15 or 20 percent. Advocating that taxes be raised for the wealthy is not a personal attack on anyone; that includes you, Mr. Perkins, and Ms. Steel as well. It is a policy proposal. No, it wouldn’t solve all the government’s fiscal problems. But yes, it would provide significant revenue while making our tax scheme more progressive and, in the eyes of most people, more fair. And yes, fairness counts.
The fabulously wealthy need love, too. But they’ll get more of it if they stop congratulating themselves for all their hard work and realize that poor people work hard, too, sometimes at two or three jobs, and struggle to put food on the table.
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