http://www.muditajournal.com/archives/547.php
Posted on 09/20/2008 9:19:53 PM PDT by andrew roman
There are myths, misconceptions and fallacies peppering the American landscape that linger like holiday-season in-laws. Contrary to popular belief, Charles Manson did not audition for the Monkees television show in the 1960s, Channel “One” was not left off of VHS television set dials because it was reserved for military use, and marking “Jedi” as your religion on a census form will not force the federal government to grant it official status. Another fable often spun by class warriors and peddled to – and believed – by a good portion the American public is that the “rich” in this country do not pay their fair share of taxes.
On Wednesday, Investor's Daily Weekly posted the results of a poll indicating that Americans are blissfully ignorant as to just how many taxes are paid by the highest wage earners in this country. Quoting the article:
A new IBD/TIPP Poll finds that the public in general has little appreciation for how much of the federal tax burden is already carried by the top earners. While the top 1% — those making over $364,657 — now pay nearly 40% of income taxes, only 17% of those surveyed realized they pay that much.
To further illustrate the point, note that the top five percent of earners in this country (those who make more than $145,283) pay 60% of all taxes. The top ten percent pay 70%.
A prevailing factor among many who subscribe and take up arms in the ongoing class war waged by the left, contributing to the contempt that libs have toward the rich, is the perception that the economy of the United States of America is a zero-sum game – i.e., each dollar made by the rich is a result of taking a dollar away from the poor.
Not true. The fact that the rich get richer does not mean the poor get proportionately poorer. Capital is created, money is made, and economies grow.
That Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Joe Biden feels that one's patriotism direcly corrolates with the amount of taxes one pays is all you need to know about liberal philosophy.
My understanding of the story is that Robin Hood fought outrageous tax policies, returning tax moneys to those who were overtaxed.
And the poor do not pay taxes, they actually receive a check if they choose to file.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earned_Income_Tax_Credit
Of course then you have the fact that poverty is a relative term and a permanent fact of life. “The poor will always be with us...” -Jesus Mark 4:17
One need only to look at California to see how well the ‘soak the rich’ scheme works.
They raised the taxes on the ‘rich’ and the ‘rich’ left the State - the loss was something like 9 billion the first year.
If the ‘O” get elected, where will the money flee to when it leaves the US?
So if patriotism = amount you pay in taxes, are the poorest amongst us the least patriotic?
Politicians of all stripes try to make voters believe that they can do something to make everyone rich. It can’t be done. BUT what no politician wants anyone to realize is that they CAN make everyone poor.
"Let's face it. You gotta be a man to wear tights."
ping
Correct. See: http://FreedomKeys.com/robinhood.htm
Every good lib will tell you of Robin Hood, robbing from the rich and giving to the poor. Often they compare their big government, high tax philosophy to this character. This is a misnomer however, for anyone who really paid attention to the Robin Hood story knows that Robin was fighting high taxes. Thus any modern leftist who actually takes the time to read the story would probably come up with something similar to the following critique.
Robin Hood: The Original Angry White Male
The story opens with the white skinned, westerner Robin of Loxie breaking out of prison to escape war crimes he has committed while slaughtering innocents fighting for the English military at the request of Jewish bankers in the land of Israel.
He flees to the safety of his rich, upper class family in England. No sooner than he lands and gets to the inland forests does he began rampant environmental destruction on various forest creatures for “food”. He is soon greeted by the non partisan Sheriff of Nottingham who informs him that #1 Robin is trespassing on public property set aside as a wildlife refuge, #2 Robin is killing endangered species and #3 Robin is violating several new anti weapon ordinances passed by the new president (who swept to victory under some of the fairest elections the world has ever known), King John.
Since Robin is a filthy, uneducated barbarian it’s no surprise that he rejects the Sheriff’s reasonable request with violence. Robin then goes home to discover that his family’s history of tax evasion has finally caught up with them and all their assets have been seized for the good of the people. Homeless, he moves across the countryside finding other rich tax evaders who also had it coming.
These people take their fall from power hard rudely barge in on President King John while he’s at a dinner party. President King John tries to make Robin see reason, but Robin’s simplistic military training only leads to more unnecessary violence and although the book doesn’t mention it, we can all assume that Robin and his “Merry Men” slaughter innocent women and children as they leave the castle to take up residence in Sherwood forest.
True to their superstitious, unenlightened natures, they conscript a Christian pastor (Friar Tuck) and begin purging their ranks of all homosexuals killing them in various graphic ways that were edited out of the original copies of the book when Reagan was elected in 1980.
President King John tries a new tactic to make peace with Robin Hood: the Good Will games. The centerpiece of these games is archery, something that the arrogant, macho Robin would fall right into. Knowing that Robin is better with a bow than he is, the Sheriff uses the medieval equilant of affirmative action to give himself a leg up in the contest. Of course, when Robin discovers this he reacts with his typical violence and shameless bullying, busting up the festivies and childishly running back to his tree house to hide.
Desperate, President King John then threatens to hang the oppressed object of Robin’s effection: Maid Marion. Now any reader with two brain cells can figure out that this is an empty threat by President King John. Driven by his testosterone and pompous ego, Robin again breaks and enters the castle, carrying illegal weapons only to be caught by the police. In another empty threat, the Sheriff then demands that the Lady Marion and he wed or else Robin will hang.
The climax is predictable western machismo: the Merry men break into the party and free Robin who then goes on to murder President King John and the Sheriff. With no regard for the Lady Marion’s feelings at all, Robin then goes on to marry her and sentence her to a life of toiling as a housewife. Tyrannical dictator King Richard returns from his evil crusade against the pacifist Muslims in the middle east, no more enlightened than when he left. Instead of stoning this evil man to death, he’s greeted as a hero in the disgusting end to this piece of tripe.
In context, that was Jesus countering a thieving Judas who wanted the perfume sold and the “money given to the poor”, when in reality he intended to skim most of it.
Sounds really familiar. Someone enriching themselves under the guise of charity.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.