Posted on 04/30/2012 11:03:16 AM PDT by pabianice
The iconic writer scolds the superrich (including himself—and Mitt Romney) for not giving back, and warns of a Kingsian apocalyptic scenario if inequality is not addressed in America.
Chris Christie may be fat, but he ain’t Santa Claus. In fact, he seems unable to decide if he is New Jersey’s governor or its caporegime, and it may be a comment on the coarsening of American discourse that his brash rudeness is often taken for charm. In February, while discussing New Jersey’s newly amended income-tax law, which allows the rich to pay less (proportionally) than the middle class, Christie was asked about Warren Buffett’s observation that he paid less federal income taxes than his personal secretary, and that wasn’t fair. “He should just write a check and shut up,” Christie responded, with his typical verve. “I’m tired of hearing about it. If he wants to give the government more money, he’s got the ability to write a check—go ahead and write it.”
Heard it all before. At a rally in Florida (to support collective bargaining and to express the socialist view that firing teachers with experience was sort of a bad idea), I pointed out that I was paying taxes of roughly 28 percent on my income. My question was, “How come I’m not paying 50?” The governor of New Jersey did not respond to this radical idea, possibly being too busy at the all-you-can-eat cheese buffet at Applebee’s in Jersey City, but plenty of other people of the Christie persuasion did.
Cut a check and shut up, they said.
If you want to pay more, pay more, they said.
Tired of hearing about it, they said.
Tough **** for you guys, because I’m not tired of talking about it. I’ve known rich people, and why not, since I’m one of them? The majority would rather douse their dicks with lighter fluid, strike a match, and dance around singing “Disco Inferno” than pay one more cent in taxes to Uncle Sugar. It’s true that some rich folks put at least some of their tax savings into charitable contributions. My wife and I give away roughly $4 million a year to libraries, local fire departments that need updated lifesaving equipment (jaws of life are always a popular request), schools, and a scattering of organizations that underwrite the arts. Warren Buffett does the same; so does Bill Gates; so does Steven Spielberg; so do the Koch brothers; so did the late Steve Jobs. All fine as far as it goes, but it doesn’t go far enough.
What charitable 1-percenters can’t do is assume responsibility—America’s national responsibilities: the care of its sick and its poor, the education of its young, the repair of its failing infrastructure, the repayment of its staggering war debts. Charity from the rich can’t fix global warming or lower the price of gasoline by one single red penny. That kind of salvation does not come from Mark Zuckerberg or Steve Ballmer saying, “Okay, I’ll write a $2 million bonus check to the IRS.” That annoying responsibility stuff comes from three words that are anathema to the Tea Partiers: United American citizenry.
And hey, why don’t we get real about this? Most rich folks paying 28 percent taxes do not give out another 28 percent of their income to charity. Most rich folks like to keep their dough. They don’t strip their bank accounts and investment portfolios, they keep them and then pass them on to their children, their children’s children. And what they do give away is—like the monies my wife and I donate—totally at their own discretion. That’s the rich-guy philosophy in a nutshell: Don’t tell us how to use our money; we’ll tell you.
The Koch brothers are right-wing creepazoids, but they’re giving right-wing creepazoids. Here’s an example: 68 million fine American dollars to Deerfield Academy. Which is great for Deerfield Academy. But it won’t do squat for cleaning up the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, where food fish are now showing up with black lesions. It won’t pay for stronger regulations to keep BP (or some other bunch of dipshit oil drillers) from doing it again. It won’t repair the levees surrounding New Orleans. It won’t improve education in Mississippi or Alabama. But what the hell—them li’l crackers ain’t never going to go to Deerfield Academy anyway. F--- em if they can’t take a joke.
Part 1 of 3 disappointing parts
Hey, Stephen, paisan...if you want less of something, tax it. That’s a fact.
On the other hand, if you feel this strongly about wrong-headed economics, go ahead and stroke a really BIG check.
You go first. OK? OK.
Another rich guy screaming to be taxed more but strange how not a single one of them has led by example yet.
Hey, King, WRITE A FREAKING CHECK AND STFU.
“Should it be the same amount for each person?”
###
Yes it should.
I’ve been saying that for years.
This MUCH more fair and rational system would solve SO much that is wrong with government and public policy.
How about if DETERMINATION, DRIVE AND PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY are not address, hmmm?
Feed a man a fish.......
All net worth over 5 million will be taken by government on behalf of the people. So if Stephen King is worth 1 billion he will need to write a check to the IRS for 995 million leaving him with the maximum allowed net worth of 5 mil. As long as he or anyone else maintains a net worth of 5 mil then ALL earnings will be taxed away and made payable to the federal government on behalf of the people.
This is a fair system because no one actually needs more than 5 million to live. The money in excess of 5 million is "the peoples" money. Oh, and If you don't pay, we slap the cuffs on you, march you off to prison and take everything.
Sound good Mr. King?
I have $20 that says King doesn’t fill out a 1040EZ so he can maximize his taxes to his Uncle Sugar.
Not surprising at all...King has been a part of the loony left for years. What is curious, is that so many of his books have conservative to semi-conservative themes...self-reliance, individual worth, suspicion of big government, etc. In his book, "Cell" (which I believe was his first post-Katrina book) he almost talked himself into rationalizing the right of people to keep and bear arms.
Got a better idea, Mr. King.
Set up a foundation promoting something useful, like literacy. Leave yourself a comfortable stipend to live on and assign everything else to the foundation. Then you can feel smug and superior AND you won’t need any extra taxation.
The local liberal fishwrap recently had an article where King was lauding his government-subsidized Chevy Volt and it included a picture of him plugging it into a “free” outlet (provided by the taxpayers) in a Sarasota city parking garage. King has a mega-mansion somewhere in the Sarasota area.
Funny how rich liberals don’t have any compunction about using other taxpayers’ dollars—and seem to hate being taxpayers themselves ala Geithner.
Very hard to argue with that logic. Apparently, the mass of enormous wealth creates such a huge gravitational tug on the brain that the brain mashes-up on the inside of the skull closest to the money. This, of course, seriously interferes with the higher brain functions, like reason, memory, and sense of humor. I see the problem.
The ability of the feds to put cash on the street will degrade rapidly in the next administration. March 2012...60% of the federal budget was borrowed....and most of the borrowing went out the door to “Federal beneficiaries”
so when all these rich guys scream about increased tax rates being needed...at some level its their own pocketbooks starting to get pinched.
Well then Steven, write a $#@&ing check!
Stephen King needs to release his tax returns for the last several years for public inspection. If he has never voluntarily paid additional taxes from all of the money he doesn’t want - or has ever taken deductions, etc. and accepted a tax return check, then this is hypocritical and not to be taken seriously. Write the check to the IRS or to charities - etc. And if you don’t like making money why do you keep selling books trying to make more of it?
Write that address on a standard size envelope,place the appropriate first class postage on the envelope and *in* that envelope place a personal check,made out to the Treasury.*You* pick what you think is the appropriate amount of the check....$1000,or $10,000,or $100,000,000 or any other amount you wish.
Problem solved.You will have paid "your fair share".And for the first time in years you'll be able to sleep at night.
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