Where Your Coin Goes
Comment: Now, could nosotros delight halt talking nigh how nosotros necessitate to a greater extent than taxes to pay for roads too bridges or to aid the poor? The primary business office of our authorities is to write checks to middle-class too wealthy voters. And that's the ground its finances are inwards the toilet.
This way Elizabeth Warren, for example, who said a manufacturing flora possessor needs to pay to a greater extent than taxes because "you moved your goods to marketplace on the roads the residue of us paid for; yous hired workers the residue of us paid to educate; yous were prophylactic inwards your manufacturing flora because of police pull forces too burn forces that the residue of us paid for." Answer: yous paid for that long ago. That's non where the coin is going.
This means Robert Frank, whose NYT "Economics view" argued for "higher taxes needed for improved infrastructure" too claimed "when the anti-tax wealthy brand crusade contributions, they are buying alone the deeper potholes too dirtier air that inevitably result when taxation revenue is low." No, that's non where the coin is going either.
(Frank's article is hilarious inwards some other way. Higher taxes are fine, he says, because to a greater extent than coin won't brand yous experience ameliorate when everyone approximately yous is wealthier too. Too much low-hanging fruit there, simply larn read it too convey a laugh. Or milk tremble your caput inwards amazement. No, he's non joking.)
The point, today, is non whether these checks are a skilful idea. The indicate is simply this: let's debate honestly nigh the actual issue. Ms Warren, Mr. Frank, too company: debate wholeheartedly that yous desire higher taxes to buy the farm on the checks coming too write to a greater extent than of them. Opponents: debate the opposite. But exit the roads, bridges, the pathetic too the environs out of the debate over higher taxes.
Nor am I being heartless. I cry upward nosotros should live on doing to a greater extent than to aid the truly poor, particularly the mentally sick that wander the streets of Chicago. I similar roads too bridges every bit much every bit the side past times side guy (though I must banker's complaint that edifice to a greater extent than highways is a really recent liberal priority!) But these priorties are simply irrelevant to the electrical flow taxation too spending debate.
PS. Of course of didactics the Times article was trying to brand the contrary indicate -- that all these middle-class recipients of authorities largesse were being dizzy for non supporting politicians who promised to laissez passer them to a greater extent than money. The thought that these hearty middle shape people were really smarter than Times writers, too saw that the arrangement would shortly pause down, did non occur to the Times.
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