Some Things Should be Obvious

Why are we even talking about the Buffet Rule? I see folk swatting gnats about how much revenue it will raise for the government; some see it as a paltry $5 million, hardly worth bothering with, others run the numbers as far larger and they also place them in different time references which ever will benefit the argument the most.

Folk with more money ought to pay at higher rates as then have benefited the most from our country, let alone the moral obligation they have to those less fortunate in our country.

Those with very high incomes often benefit from the capital gains tax rate which is lower. Now for those of us who are retired, whose paycheck does not rise with the inflation or cost of living by any significant margin benefit by that and I think it seems fair. But if you are a millionaire it takes on an entirely different moral picture.

If you watched my video link on Robert Reich’s explanation of how Mitt Romney got rich you get a good idea of how this works. Entrepreneurs by definition are risk takers, he isn’t; he risks others people money and then ends up paying low capital gains taxes. That does not seem moral to me. Today’s morality may just be changing from concern for the public good and care for all to just get what you can get and to hell with you fellow human beings. It is the morality of expediency and it stinks. I do see morality at work business but most of they are in the small businesses where they have personal contact with those who whom they do business.

I heard a comedian of TV recently who joked that the church on wants 10% of our money the government wants more. But he has it wrong on many counts. The “Tithe” he refers to in the Old Testament was 10% it was more like 20% or more. The religion and the government were the same so it was a different time. The morality of hospitality was also much different in that any stranger in your midst was to be treated as a treasured guest; we are just suspicious of strangers and wary of them. And in the New Testament we are taught “to whom much is given, much is required.” That is a moral basis of a progressive tax. And I believe it is what lies behind Warren Buffets statement that got this whole ball rolling. He seems to understand moral responsibility while  others are argue for the law of the jungle or I’ve got mine to hell with you. Warren Buffets idea adheres to the concept of the tithe, which is percentage giving of your income.

The same thinking is apparent when we talk about government’s role. The major demands that we cut government spending on social issues yet when it comes to each specific program, they don’t want them cut. It reflects bad morality; impersonal ideologies versus human concerns for neighbors.

What offends me the most are the self-righteous Christian conservatives who often are the harshest in judging the needs of the fellow human beings. They are the Pharisees of our day who are legalistic and inflexible, uncaring and even condemning about their neighbors; they ignore the basic moral teachings of Jesus who tells us to love our enemies as well as our neighbors and to care for the disadvantaged.

The Buffet Rule, health care provided for all citizens, guaranteed wages, equal wages, eradication of poverty, social safety nets, infrastructures than benefit all and the like should be obvious in a moral country. These are the goals we should seek to accomplish and as a rich nation have the ability to undertake. Arguing about the proper procedures is worthwhile, but to just oppose them is immoral.

The Buffet Rule is a powerful symbol of how our country thinks.  In the baselinescenarion.com, Simon Johnson see three ways forward, “There are three ways forward.  Either the Republicans begin to compromise – and agree to raise taxes as part of a comprehensive deficit reduction and debt control strategy, just as Ronald Reagan did.  There is a great deal of confusion about whether Reagan raised taxes after first cutting them; see chapter 3 of White House Burning for the details of what actually happened.

” Or the Republicans who have signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge will prevail – no one’s taxes will go up and, most likely, some people’s taxes will go down.  In this case, either the deficit will continue to grow (which is what Newt Gingrich is proposing) or Medicare and almost everything else the federal government does will be scrapped (which is the position represented by Paul Ryan).  My guess is that, in this scenario, we will say farewell to any meaningful form of social insurance – good luck getting healthcare when you are 85 (unless you earned over a million dollars a year for many years).

”Or the Republicans will lose big – and fiscal consolidation can proceed without them.”

The moral center of this country seems to have shifted over the years and not in a positive way. Fear and meanness appear to be the way to try and get our ways. It is perfectly possible for folk to argue over moral issues, disagree but still act cordially and caring for each other. I know it for I have seen it. I have seen in mainline churches dealing with controversial issues. I hope to see it in the political arena but I’m not holding my breath.

We free end speeches, “And may God bless America.” God has, we need to respond as being blessings to each other.