Democrats: 'Soak the rich!'

Class warfare is alive and well on the Democratic campaign trail. Hey, why abandon a game plan that appeals so beautifully to the baser instincts of fellow Americans?

Almost every single one of the current crop of Democratic presidential candidates is loudly proclaiming their intention to raise taxes on the wretched, undeserving rich. Interestingly enough, though, these Democrats just can't seem to bring themselves to use those two words "tax increases." The dictates of political survival demand different verbiage – hence the phrase "get rid of Bush's tax cuts for the rich."

Here's a bit of grudging respect for the tax-and-spend Dems on this one. With that "get rid of Bush's tax cuts for the rich" line they've managed to articulate their desire for another typical Democratic tax increase while at the same time feeding the masses desire for revenge against those who have worked harder, longer and smarter than they.

Those hated Bush tax cuts are, like it or not, now part of the law. They are part of the Internal Revenue Code. If the Democrats do happen to regain their control over government tax policy, they will simply introduce and pass a tax increase – a plain, simple tax increase, but only on the evil rich. This is not a matter of "getting rid of tax cuts," it's raising taxes, pure and simple.

Some of the more demagogic Democrats cite the war in Iraq as their justification for this tax increase. They even carry their class-warfare campaign a bit further by telling their constituents the rich need to pay more taxes just to cover the cost of the war effort. They tell us the rich are the ones benefiting from this war, so they ought to pay the tab. Somehow, they don't remember to remind us that these filthy rich people – the top 1 percent – earn about 17 percent of total income but pay nearly 38 percent of all taxes. Hey, you don't want to make it look like the evil rich are actually shouldering a good bit of the load, do you?

When you ask almost any of these candidates just why they want to raise taxes only on the rich, they will tell you they want to raise taxes on the rich because (a) the rich have the money, and (b) they don't need it.

Since you're reading this, you'll just have to imagine me screaming: "What's this 'they don't need it' nonsense?" Is this how we're supposed to set tax rates now? Do we now look at a person's income, determine how much they actually need, and then just take the rest?

I'll give them one thing for this approach. It sure would simplify tax returns.

A. Enter your total 2003 earnings on Line 1.

B. Enter the amount of money you need to cover essentials on Line 2.

C. Subtract Line 2 from Line 1.

D. Enter the number derived in Step C on Line 3.

E. Make a check in the amount shown on Line 3 to the Internal Revenue Service

F. Mail the check.

Well, the Democrats did say they were for tax reform, didn't they?

We have another piece of Orwellian doublespeak at work in this great "soak the rich" Democratic campaign. Being ever vigilant for the onset of nausea, try to listen to these demagogues chanting their tax-increase mantras and you'll eventually hear them talk about what they want to do with the "savings" that comes with increased taxes on the nasty rich.

Most Americans would hear their "this is how we're going to spend the savings" nonsense and never so much as bat an eyelid. You, though, are fortunate enough to have a professional doublespeak translator such as myself around. There is an ominous meaning to the use of the "savings" word, and I have been sent to explain it all to you.

If you are living paycheck to paycheck, and you want to save some money, there is really only one way to go about it. You simply spend less. So, if these politicians are saying you "save" money by increasing taxes, they must be viewing these tax increases as a spending cut.

Bingo! You got it. That's exactly the way many politicians see it! They look at a tax increase not from the standpoint of taking more money from the taxpayer, but from the standpoint of paying the taxpayer less. For years, the imperial federal government has looked as tax cuts or deductions as "tax expenditures."

The mindset here is that all of your earnings belong to the federal government. The more they let you keep, the more it costs. The less they allow you to keep, the more they save. The Democrats are lusting over the "savings" that will result from paying the rich less for what they do.

Go back to my simplified tax form above. You may be filling one out sooner than you think.