I’ve had a few conversations about the economy as of late with folks whose “world view” is “left leaning”. They, of course, spend a goodly portion of the discussion telling me that we’re not broke, but that the money is just being held by “The Rich”. And that if we taxed it out of their hands, everyone else would be fine.
I stay away from reminding them how redistributionist that truly is, mostly because that argument won’t sway them. Once someone believes that someone has more than they “deserve” and that it should be forcibly removed from their possession, calling them names isn’t going to get you anywhere.
What I do end up saying is that while America HAS been in worse financial straits before, as a nation we have never relied upon so few members of the citizenry to be such a large part of the tax base as we are doing now.
This shocks them a bit because they have been told, and they believe, that it is “The Middle Class” that is being squeezed by “The Rich”.
And now thanks to a new report by The Tax Foundation, it is proven that now that the US leads the world in relying on the smallest percentage of our population as our tax base.
It is as though everyone is ordering beers while demanding a shorter waiter with a smaller tray. Sooner or later there is going to be a huge mess.
“Deserve.”
The word is often a placeholder for impulsive greed. Advertisers want to stir one’s desire for their product. Looters want to stir one’s desire for the property of others. Greed is the desire for the unearned. “Deserve” is used to fake the suggestion that that desire is justified.