Elon Musk is paying 11 billion dollars in taxes this year. The Left is looting stores and burning down cities.
Article by Terry Paulson in Townhall
The Takers Are Taking Over
Elections matter. It shows in the sometimes not so subtle changes that
surface unintended consequences. The shift to the left with President
Joe Biden taking office and both houses of Congress narrowly in control
by the Democrats is impacting our country in a profoundly negative
way. The takers in our society are emboldened and are grabbing at all
they can get.
In metropolitan areas, we are seeing well organized
mobs storming high-end stores, grabbing merchandise, fleeing, and
openly selling their stolen goods. In Washington and state capitols, the
progressive takers are demanding more and more free services and
subsidies. All of this while the earners try to survive in the face
recurring lockdowns, oppressive mandates, and their inability to find
willing workers. Far too many struggle just to keep their businesses
afloat.
Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, in response to the
rash of smash and grab crimes asked, "Pray tell, where is this attitude
of lawlessness coming from?" The minority leader Kevin McCarthy shared
the obvious answer:
"Speaker Pelosi should look in the mirror to see
what caused the 'attitude of lawlessness' spreading across the country.
Democrat politicians defunded police, raised money for rioters, and
pushed policies that are soft on crime. They own this crime wave."
In
California, there are many factors contributing. Far too many district
attorneys are soft on crime. The California law making shoplifting a
misdemeanor provided that less than $950 in goods are stolen has reduced
penalties often resulting in those arrested being released the same
day. The hoodlums ransack stores one day and have those products for
sale online the next. When crime pays, crime expands. The message is
loud and clear--there is nothing to stop you from joining the crime
party. Don't worry; the rich have insurance. The message gets through:
"They've had it their way for too long. It's time for equity! It's time
to take back what should be ours!"
In fact, now that robbers have
attacked Louis Vuitton's Union Square store, hit Nordstrom's in Walnut
Creek, and other high-end stores, the liberal San Francisco Mayor
London Breed was outraged, calling for immediate police countermeasures.
Even
Nancy Pelosi, in a subsequent interview, acknowledged the problem:
"These people coordinate with each other and they plan traffic patterns
and the rest so they can reach their goal and depart very quickly. This
isn't like somebody stealing something to go home because they don't
have money to buy. This is about stealing for profit."
Where does
this attitude come from? Try the Democrat Party's socialist
transformation being unleashed on America. The takers have been waiting
for their spoils. Biden's "Build Back Better" plan may be stalled for
now, but it is not for lack of effort.
President Biden keeps
spreading an irresponsible lie: "These plans are fiscally responsible.
They are fully paid for. They don't add a single penny to the deficit.
And they don't raise taxes on anyone making less than $400,000 a
year. In fact, they reduce the deficit. Here's how: I don't want to
punish anyone's success. I'm a capitalist. I want everyone to be able
to - if they want to be a millionaire or billionaire, to be able to seek their goal. But all I'm asking is: Pay your fair share."
But
the official congressional scorekeeper in its long-awaited final
analysis contradicted the president's claims. OK, the rich will pay
more, and corporations will pay more. Then again, the top 1% of wage
earners make 20.9% of the gross income, but already pay 40.1% of the
federal income tax load. How is that not their fair share?
But
Biden's transformation won't just hit the rich. His promises will impact
everyone's bottom line. Some estimates suggest that the increased
spending would further accelerate inflation costing the average tax
payor more $3,500 a year. Business leaders are expressing their
disapproval.
Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren has accused
billionaire Elon Musk, the Tesla CEO, of "freeloading." She writes:
"Elon Musk is whining like a baby to his millions of Twitter followers.
He must be scared because he knows what every other billionaire in
America does: that he's been freeloading off of working people, and that
I won't back down from a fight," one of her ads reads. 'Will you chip
in $10 to help Warren Democrats pass a wealth tax, keep the 1% in check
and fight for working people?' Warren wants to change the "rigged tax
code so The Person of the Year (TIME magazine) will actually pay taxes
and stop freeloading off everyone else."
Elon Musk set the record
straight. He claims that he will pay more in taxes than anyone else in
American history this year. He went on to attack the advocates of big
government: "It does not make sense to take the job of capital
allocation away from people who have demonstrated great skill in capital
allocation and give it to an entity that has demonstrated very poor
skill in capital allocation, which is the government."
The bottom
50% of wage earners make 11.6% of the gross income but pay only 2.9% of
the federal income taxes collected. Maybe it is time for the takers put
more skin in the game before they elect politicians to take more from
the producers who create the businesses and jobs our country needs to
sustain the American Dream. Bring on the mid-term elections; it's time
to take back America from this progressive insanity.
https://townhall.com/columnists/terrypaulson/2021/12/20/the-takers-are-taking-over-n2600795
