John Carney explains (and attacks Paul Krugman in the process):
Paul Krugman is going on again about raising taxes on the wealthy.
Before I get into this again, I thought I’d point out something I recently learned about the nursery rhyme “Bah, Bah, Black Sheep.”
As we know it now, the poem is about there being enough wool for everyone:
Baa, baa, black sheep, Have any wool?
Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Three bags full
One for the master
One for the dame
And one for the little boy
Who lives down the lane.
But this version of the rhyme, apparently, is a modern modification of the original version.
In the earlier version, there wasn’t enough to go around because Edward I of England, freshly returned from the Crusades, imposed new taxes on wool in 1272. The rhyme protested that there was enough for the master (the king), the dame (the Church), but none for the little boy who lived down the lane (everyone else).
Carney writes:
ReplyDelete"If I were less charitable, I’d say that he was practicing a form of social status warfare, in which well-off Americans display their superior social status by advocating for higher taxes on their fellow rich."
BINGO. This is a moral corruption that plagues not only wealthy entrepreneurs, but even very poor people as well.
Buffet and Krugman fear being identified as "the 1%" who are exploiting "the 99%." They want to APPEAR to the poor as willing to pay more taxes, both to deal with their fears of being targeted by the 99%, and of being able to declare to others that they are so wealthy they can afford to pay more taxes.
All this is the result of the vicious doctrine of "conspicuous consumption." Krugman does not connect humans and the material world, and does not identify modern material civilization, on an objective basis. Our desire for wealth is allegedly just a result of "cultural conditioning" and "indoctrination." We allegedly want to acquire more wealth in order to convey an image of eliteness and prestige.
The opinions of others are what matters when it comes to wealth and human life.
This is why the government, society's epicenter of immoral thoughts and behavior, is so enamoured with Buffet. They feed off the corruption he is displaying. In return, he gets insider tips from the government before the government acts, which allows him to make unearned money in "guessing right" so often. It isn't just a coincidence that he so often happens to be a stakeholder in companies that receive government bail outs.
Baa Baa Bernanke have you any money?
ReplyDeleteYes sir, yes sir, plenty of funny money
a trillion for the banks
a trillion for the corporations
a trillion for the Euro Banks that live 'cross the sea.
Baa Ba Bernake who gave this to thee?
You did, you did, that's why you're in poverty