No, Michael Moore didn't take off his shirt. What he did was open his mouth. Normally, this wouldn't be enough to make me vomit, but today, well, he got to me. Here's what he said (speaking about wealthy people):
"They're sitting on the money, they're using it for their own -- they're putting it someplace else with no interest in helping you with your life, with that money. We've allowed them to take that. That's not theirs, that's a national resource, that's ours. We all have this -- we all benefit from this or we all suffer as a result of not having it,"
Bad enough? Nope.
"I think we need to go back to taxing these people at the proper rates. They need to -- we need to see these jobs as something we some, that we collectively own as Americans and you can't just steal our jobs and take them someplace else."
Now that I've stopped sputtering in rage, let's break down these statements.
Wealthy people are sitting on their money and not giving it away for your benefit.
This is just not true. Americans give more to charity than any other nation. We could do more perhaps, but maintaining at least the semblance of private property rights is one of the last bastions of freedom we have left.
We've "allowed" them to take that money, but it's not theirs, it's ours.
The vast majority of weath in this country is EARNED. In the case of inherited wealth it may have been earned by a prior generation, but it was still earned. What I earn by the sweat of my brow or through my ingenuity belongs to NO ONE but me.
<deep breaths>
Ok, I'm calm again, let's continue.
We need to tax people at the right rates.
Is Michael Moore rational here? Could he possibly be suggesting a flat tax? Well, taken in the context of the prior statement, I'd say no. More likely he's proposing a 100% tax on wealth. (Just not his I'm sure) Why not, it's not their money, so why should they keep any of it?
We collectively own the jobs, you can't steal them and take them someplace else.
I could probably write for 2 days the problems with this statement. If jobs become a property right in this county we are in for some serious trouble. Stop and think about it. Some due process is required to take your property no matter if you don't fully own it. The constitution requires this, that no person will be deprived of property without due process of law. This may involve a civil suit, a government action, or a foreclosure proceeding. As deficient as some of these are, it's still not entirely easy to take your property. So, let's say you have a job, and that job is your property. Let's further suppose you're really bad at that job. You're lazy. You're on drugs. Whatever. Is your boss, the person who built your company, owns your company, etc going to have to get a court order to fire you?
You'd think this is just one nut job mouthing off. Unfortunately, you'd be mistaken. There is actually a decent segment of our society who believes this garbage. People will not produce when they can't enjoy the fruits of their labor. Further, you're dealing with a slipperly slope. Where does the assault on freedom end? It ends with education. We must educate ourselves and our families on the importance of freedom, the significance of proper incentives in our lives, and the rewards of hard work.
Short break coming up for Mardi Gras, where I reward myself for my good behavior and hard work this past year. I may have some short posts over the weekend, but maybe not.
Have a great weekend. See you next week!