Showing posts with label taxes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label taxes. Show all posts

Saturday, September 24, 2011

I've had it with Giving Back and Takes a Village BS

Was out checking a few blog posts and comments tonight, and I got to tell you, I've had it with the twin false arguments of 1) wealthy people owe society for helping them get there, and 2) wealthy people and corporations have a moral obligation to "give back". Below was a post where I responded to those ideas tonight, and wanted to share it on this blog. Feel free to modify and share the response as needed. I would love to see national figures, such as Thomas Sowell, address this issue head on.


“I hear all this, you know, ‘Well, this is class warfare,’” she says of
Democratic tax policy. “No. There is nobody in this country who got rich
on his own. Nobody.”


“I hear all this, you know, ‘Well, this is class warfare,’” she says of
Democratic tax policy. “No. There is nobody in this country who got rich
on his own. Nobody.”

I'm so sick of this fallacious argument. Intelligent people should FIGHT IT on every blog they see it. And start hitting back on this, which is directly related: "Giving back". They say everyone needs to 'give back', corporations need to 'give back'. It's become part of our lexicon, and corporations all play along, fearful of the vengeful left. I manage a charity, and work on many causes, but not because there's a moral imperative to give back, as if I owe something. It's because I care about them, with my free will, not an expectation. Here we go, check it:

The one guy/gal that builds a 1000 person company is rare, statistically. I wish we had more, but business is hard, and risky. But to the point, the left says that a person owes society for being able to get rich, but that guy/gal had the same society as the 50% that are below the average, and the poor, and those on welfare. I went to the same schools, had the same teachers, same cops, politicians, etc, as everyone else in my community. I made something of myself, many didn't. What was the variable? Me, and my parents, mentors I chose. I made the effort. No mentors every came to my house asking if they could teach me something. The village didn't keep me up late studying harder than other kids, I did, with my parents guidance and encouragement.

If the 'village' was the reason the lone man succeeds, then it must also be the reason many more others failed. That's the response that should be shared every time you hear that garbage. When a county gives some land at a reduced/free rate to a big business to come in, that's not a gift, they aren't being altruistic. They are buying jobs, and then touting it to buy votes. It is a trade, not a gift. The state/county just waves the magic pen, it's up to the business to do all the work. And then, if the business brings in more jobs than projected, is the state going to "give back" for getting the better part of the deal? Hell no.

If society is struggling, if there are too many poor, too many uneducated, then stop selling that lie that the village is the reason for a rich person's success, unless you are going to admit that the same village is responsible for all the poor it has taught to be helpless, taught to expect that the rich must 'give back'. (Pretty lousy success ratio for that village, maybe we should trade it in for a new one. ) If anyone should be giving back, the state and poor should be giving to policies and decisions that bring more explosive profitable businesses, that cause a wave of direct, secondary, and tertiary benefits that growth brings to the society. And they should be 'giving back' appreciation, thanks, and respect for the rare person that can build a large business. If it's so easy, then everyone would do it, now wouldn't they?

Friday, February 22, 2008

California Taxes Chase Away Wealth

Here's a good story from San Fran. California's taxes keep rising, and the wealthy have had enough and are establishing residence in lower tax states. What's the key lesson? Well, liberals in America often want more social programs funded by increased taxes on the rich. Even if you raise taxes across the board, liberals are upset that the rich weren't taxed at a higher rate. It's class envy, and incredibly stupid economics. Why? Because by and large people who have built wealth aren't that stupid. Higher taxes will drive them away, especially if they continue to see more and more freebies given out on their dime.

This story is a great example, and as taxes go up in the nation, we'll see more and more wealthy finding ways to shield their assets outside of the US. So, those liberals that figured they'd pay for socialized medicine, or free college for all, by taxing the rich, aren't going to get anything but put the country in a worse state. It's simple economics. Intelligent people will do what is in the best interest. Even highly charitable ones know that they can't contribute to the cause they care about if Uncle Sam is taking it all and wasting 50% on bureaucracy.


Millionaires cashing out of Bay Area - San Francisco Business Times:: "'You can still make a lot of money in California. The problem is, then you have to pay taxes on that money,' said Kennedy, who recently helped a California client with annual income of about $1 million save $96,000 annually by making their home in Jackson Hole, Wyo., their primary residence.
'Effectively, you have the state of California subsidizing their relocation through the tax savings,' Kennedy said. 'You can still tap into California's resources -- which includes a large, educated population -- while extricating yourself from the California tax system.'"

fifth installment...