“I would have no problem with taxing dividend income as ordinary income, with one provision: The corporation can expense dividend distributions, so the dividends aren’t doubly taxed by corporate income taxes.’
Are dividend distributions taxed now?
Yes, they are. They are considered profit/net income.
So, dividend distributions are taxed twice: once by the corporate income tax, and again by the individual income tax.
That's the real reason for the reduced individual income tax on qualified dividends, but that doesn't fit the narrative of "class warfare".