Examining one of the biggest problems in America

If there is one place you’re going to learn a lot about the background of JC and his values, it is probably here in politics. It won’t take you long to figure out which party my allegiances lie with (or who I’m voting for, for that matter). Here’s my first bit of political insight, and I’m going to rely on one of the best political commentators around, Walter Williams, to make my point.

My father has been a big influence on a lot of my views. Politics is no exception to that rule. I’m not sure how long my father has been reading Walter Williams’ blogs, but recently he began sending me one of his columns every Wednesday. Most I agree with and take a lot from, but there is one that stuck out more than most.

In an April 25 column on Townhall.com entitled Devious Taxation, Williams analyzes the state of taxation in our “great” nation and how it is obviously corrupt. The statistics are very surprising, and to be honest, I didn’t fully understand how one-sided taxation is in America today. Here’s an excerpt from the column:

Let’s look at tax fairness. According to Internal Revenue Service data for 2009, available at http://www.ntu.org/tax-basics/who-pays-income-taxes.html, the top 1 percent of American income earners paid almost 37 percent of federal income taxes. The top 10 percent paid about 70 percent of federal income taxes, and the top 50 percent paid nearly 98 percent. Roughly 47 percent of Americans pay no federal income tax. Here’s my fairness question to you: What standard of fairness dictates that the top 10 percent of income earners pay 70 percent of the income tax burden while 47 percent of Americans pay nothing?

The fact that the income tax burden is distributed so unevenly produces great politically borne fiscal problems. People who pay little or no income taxes become natural constituents for big-spending politicians. After all, if you pay no income taxes, what do you care if income taxes are raised? Also, you won’t be enthusiastic about tax cuts; you’ll see them as a threat to your handouts.

If you read what I just read, I know you can’t be sitting there thinking you’re getting (or giving, depending on which 50% you’re in) your fair shake. Remember a few months ago when the Occupy Movement was still going strong? What was their tagline again…we are the 99%?

I think maybe they should reassess that idea. As stated above, the top one percent of income earners paid 37 % of federal income taxes in 2009. So essentially, what the 99% was saying is, we are mad that you’re picking up our slack and paying a ton more in taxes than us, so we’re gonna protest to get you to give us more handouts.

It is completely absurd. I guarantee very few people from that top ten percent that was paying nearly 70% of the federal income tax was also protesting against the 1%. So now that movement becomes just the 90%.

But wait, did I see that right? 47% of Americans pay nothing in taxes? So realistically, shouldn’t there be protestors out there saying, we are the 53%? Because frankly I’m upset that nearly half the people I encounter in this world are going to get away with not paying income taxes. I think I may go protest on Wall Street about that…

Here’s my point. The 99% does not exist. It is more like a few bitter souls who haven’t gotten off their asses and taken initiative in their life to the point where they have to pay taxes and actually have a bank account. Nobody in America owes anybody else anything. No high income earner should, or ever will pay a man who isn’t pulling his weight any cash. In a sense, he already is by picking up his tax burden.

I also want to comment on that last bit from Mr. Williams. He is completely right about the 47% of Americans being natural constituents. In fact, it makes me wonder if that is the entire basis of the democratic party. Pick up all of the people who don’t make enough money to pay taxes and all of the people affected by social issues and get them to vote, all of a sudden you have a pretty strong chance of winning election.

There will be more to come concerning this issue, but I don’t think it will take long to make it clear that the conservative ideology is far better for this country than the ideas coming from the left.