Liberals, the Super Rich, and Strange Allies
If you read the fairy tale weaved by the major media and our history books, we would believe that liberal policies are beneficial to everyone, whether if those policies are popular are not. The upper classes can complain all they want, but they sleep better at night knowing that the government is generous with their wealth, even if those wealthy are actually "quite greedy." The middle class who aspire to be rich might have to face tougher regulations and taxes that might prevent them from meeting their dream, but at least they know their "fundamental needs" are being met. This would never happen, we are told, without the benevolent hand of the government. Than there are those who are poor and they are obviously the biggest beneficiaries of a big and generous government. These people would surely be found lying dead in the street without the generosity of a redistributing government.
The reality is, the only ones who benefit at all from a government that is growing out of control are the super rich and, if you consider getting "something for nothing" a "good thing," the poor. The rest of us are squeezed by the pressures driven by the highest income groups.
Liberals want us to believe that conservatives are "for business" while they are for "the people." It is correct that, true conservatives, support bills that encourage economic freedom. But businesses support liberal candidates as well. Liberals want us to believe that Obama raised almost ten times more than McCain in the last Presidential campaign by getting coupons and food stamps from the homeless and the destitute. According to the FEC, the top 1 parent income group gave three to one more to Barack Obama than John McCain. How is that possible for a President who is bent on being the "Peoples' President?" The reason for this is simple, the mega rich are the only ones that can actually afford big government.
I worked for a member of the US Senate and learned how the super rich and the liberals work hand and hand. For example, major energy companies and environmental activists (yes, odd bedfellows) decide that it was time to upgrade the environmental quality of gas pumps in the early 1990s. So, they send their team of lobbyists upon Washington, DC to persuade members of Congress to pass legislation that would cost -- $10,000 per gas pump on average in order to bring them up to code.
Now, the liberal members of Congress are sitting in their office and the lobbyists visit them. They see a "business man" who represents an energy company saying that forcing the upgrade of gas pumps is a good thing for everyone -- including business. It will "create new jobs" for those who make these better pumps. More "important," this legislation will make a "cleaner and safer environment," because fewer gas fumes will be pumped into the environment. The liberal, who is inclined towards expanding government any way, loves this. It is "pro-business" and "pro-environment, what can we lose?" What was lost was thousands of jobs, untold numbers of "mom and pop" gas stations that could not afford the upgrades, and consumers lost choices for buying gas. This epitomizes government at its worse. Big business has partnered with big government to mug small businesses for years with regulation and tax laws the latter cannot afford.
There is a similar situation when it comes to excessive, progressive, taxation. The super rich find this to be a laughable situation, since most of these taxes only apply when money is being used in economic activities. A great example is the capital gains tax. When you look at history, and when this tax was very high or in the process of increasing (like now), the result is a dramatic drop in economic activity and the jobs they created. The rich would sit on the largess they enjoyed and accumulated, while those who want to be rich find themselves unable to afford to take risks because the rewards were so damaged by the tax. The super rich actually get a break from the upper middle class that aspires to be rich when all taxes are high. In a way, these high taxes are an actual insurance program against those who would want to displace them on the economic ladder.
Big government, and its proponents, have always been funded and supported by the super rich. Although more than 80 percent of all jobs are created by small business, major corporations and the people that benefit from them, dictate government policies that keep the wealthy on top and increases the numbers of the poor (by destroying job creation among small businesses and providing increased incentives for choosing a life of poverty). So, the next time you meet someone who says they are liberal, ask them why don't they give the "little guy" a break and support freedom instead.
Kevin Price is a syndicated columnist whose articles frequently appear at ChicagoSunTimes.com, Reuters.com, USAToday.com, and other national media. Kevin Price is also host of the Price of Business (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650). Hear the show live and online at PriceofBusiness.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.
The reality is, the only ones who benefit at all from a government that is growing out of control are the super rich and, if you consider getting "something for nothing" a "good thing," the poor. The rest of us are squeezed by the pressures driven by the highest income groups.
Liberals want us to believe that conservatives are "for business" while they are for "the people." It is correct that, true conservatives, support bills that encourage economic freedom. But businesses support liberal candidates as well. Liberals want us to believe that Obama raised almost ten times more than McCain in the last Presidential campaign by getting coupons and food stamps from the homeless and the destitute. According to the FEC, the top 1 parent income group gave three to one more to Barack Obama than John McCain. How is that possible for a President who is bent on being the "Peoples' President?" The reason for this is simple, the mega rich are the only ones that can actually afford big government.
I worked for a member of the US Senate and learned how the super rich and the liberals work hand and hand. For example, major energy companies and environmental activists (yes, odd bedfellows) decide that it was time to upgrade the environmental quality of gas pumps in the early 1990s. So, they send their team of lobbyists upon Washington, DC to persuade members of Congress to pass legislation that would cost -- $10,000 per gas pump on average in order to bring them up to code.
Now, the liberal members of Congress are sitting in their office and the lobbyists visit them. They see a "business man" who represents an energy company saying that forcing the upgrade of gas pumps is a good thing for everyone -- including business. It will "create new jobs" for those who make these better pumps. More "important," this legislation will make a "cleaner and safer environment," because fewer gas fumes will be pumped into the environment. The liberal, who is inclined towards expanding government any way, loves this. It is "pro-business" and "pro-environment, what can we lose?" What was lost was thousands of jobs, untold numbers of "mom and pop" gas stations that could not afford the upgrades, and consumers lost choices for buying gas. This epitomizes government at its worse. Big business has partnered with big government to mug small businesses for years with regulation and tax laws the latter cannot afford.
There is a similar situation when it comes to excessive, progressive, taxation. The super rich find this to be a laughable situation, since most of these taxes only apply when money is being used in economic activities. A great example is the capital gains tax. When you look at history, and when this tax was very high or in the process of increasing (like now), the result is a dramatic drop in economic activity and the jobs they created. The rich would sit on the largess they enjoyed and accumulated, while those who want to be rich find themselves unable to afford to take risks because the rewards were so damaged by the tax. The super rich actually get a break from the upper middle class that aspires to be rich when all taxes are high. In a way, these high taxes are an actual insurance program against those who would want to displace them on the economic ladder.
Big government, and its proponents, have always been funded and supported by the super rich. Although more than 80 percent of all jobs are created by small business, major corporations and the people that benefit from them, dictate government policies that keep the wealthy on top and increases the numbers of the poor (by destroying job creation among small businesses and providing increased incentives for choosing a life of poverty). So, the next time you meet someone who says they are liberal, ask them why don't they give the "little guy" a break and support freedom instead.
Kevin Price is a syndicated columnist whose articles frequently appear at ChicagoSunTimes.com, Reuters.com, USAToday.com, and other national media. Kevin Price is also host of the Price of Business (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650). Hear the show live and online at PriceofBusiness.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.
Labels: Poor Democrats, regulations, Rich, Taxes, welfare for the rich
posted by Kevin Price at 11:12 AM
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