"Taxes are too high!"
"So say 'the rich people'", deride the "populists", "The Occupiers", and liberals like Congressman Henry Waxman, along with every member of the Democratic Leadership in Sacramento and Washington D.C.
But wait, another "populist, Occupy-sympathizing liberal" also thinks that taxes are too high: HBO Real Time's "Bill Maher":
“You know what? Rich people – I’m sure you’d agree with this – actually do pay the freight in this country.”
“I just saw these statistics. . .I mean, something like 70 percent. And here in California, I just want to say liberals – you could actually lose me. It’s outrageous what we’re paying – over 50 percent. I’m willing to pay my share, but yeah, it’s ridiculous.”
So much for "liberal bias."
I need to write this again — Bill Maher has threatened "Liberals — you could actually lose me." Democrats are losing support from wealthy benefactors, and now even media elites are turning on the "tax and spend" juggernaut in this country.
Of course, Bill Maher is not the only wealthy California native getting tired of the high taxes in California: Phil Mickelson. He acknowledged that the high taxes are hurting him, forcing him to change his habits, what he can and cannot do with his personal wealth. With federal and state taxes hammering him, he has acknowledged that he will have to make some major changes. He later apologized for his remarks, but he has nothing to apologize for. He is paying too much money. He is not a "cold-hearted" capitalist which liberal elites love to deride and shame. His a golf player, and a good one. He uses his skills to make his game, and people pay him handsomely to do it. There is nothing wrong with that.
It is immoral to punish people with higher taxes just because they make more money. What's wrong with being wealthy? What's wrong with making money, investing your wealth, and creating jobs and industry for other people? Not all of us start right away being rich, but that does not mean we have to suffer with it.
No better example of this rise from dearth to wealth than Johns Hopkins Dr. Ben Carson, whose stunning speech at the National Prayer Breakfast criticized President Barack Obama's individual mandate, high taxes, and the prolix tax code. Carson shared his remarks while the President was sitting nearby, as well. He pointed out that many "rich" people put their money in off-shore accounts, but he did not shame the wealthy people for this transfer of wealth. He blamed the government, and the overly high taxes which impose on a few, when in fact "everyone should have some skin in the game".
Still, a record number of "rich people" are leaving the country, renouncing their citizenship to live elsewher, to avoid the outrageous tax hikes. Even Gerard Depardieu left his native France because of the skyrocketing tax rates. Then again, these reports may mean nothing to most of us. After all, they are "rich", right?
Put it in this perspective. Even if these "rich" people choose to stay in this country and live in states with higher tax rates, their consumption and purchasing power will be drastically reduced. The perks, the products, and the professions that they hire will have drastically reduced revenue. Just this past week, Manhattan Beach Unified and Hermosa Beach City School Districts announced more layoff notices than the previous year, even though California voters passed Prop 30 with the intention of delaying future layoffs. The culture of "soak the rich" is now "soaking everyone else", with wealth creators now taking their wealth elsewhere, and thus even less revenue is available to fund core services.
Taxing people does not make anyone wealthy, healthy, or wise. Do we want to live in a state where people are depending on one agency to take from one group of people in order to "fund" everyone else? This pattern of "tax and take" is not working.
State Senator Ted Lieu attempted to triple our car tax. Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi h made no promises to protect Prop 13, which maintains low tax rates on residential and commercialproperties. Congressman Henry Waxman mocked his rival's wealth, claiming that Bloomfield would be the only one paying higher taxes. Today, we are all paying higher taxes, whether its the wealthy losing their wealth, or middle class workers losing their work, or poor people who cannot get out of poverty. Now more than ever, the state of California needs more businesses, and businesses cannot survive, let alone thrive, without an easy tax burden and eased regulations.
Lower taxes leads to more businesses, more tax revenue, and more tax revenue means more school money. Lower taxes, less spending, and looser regulations will prosper California, not higher taxes, and all the unintended consequences of wealthy people, wealth creators, and wealth altogether leaving the state of California and the country. This idea is not as strange, since even comedian Bill Maher, along with golf great Paul Mickelson and Dr. Ben Carson agree that taxing the rich is a taxing idea which is not taxing all of us.