Reading Daily Kos, I see one post after another asking our country to squeeze the rich with open calls for class warfare. But, unless you really are a Socialist, the problem is not that the top 1% has gotten richer, it is that everybody else has either not kept up or gotten poorer. Our policies should not be about “us vs. them”, they should be designed to advance the common good and create wealth for all. If you wonder why the right’s “trickle-down economics” and anti-Keynesian positions attract voters even though they are complete bullshit, you need to look at their messaging. They claim (falsely) that if you reduce taxes on the wealthy, it will create jobs for all. If you look at the left’s messaging, it has been about squeezing the top 1% to pay necessary government expenditures and support entitlement programs. It’s time to focus on what those government expenditures and entitlement programs do for the economy (and all Americans), how much we personally value them, and our willingness to roll back all of the Bush tax cuts (including our own), rather than divisively demanding that others foot the bill for unspecified programs.
I propose Democrats and Independents sign the following pledge:
I would personally be willing to pay more in taxes to ensure that:
1) the EPA can guarantee that we have clean air and water and that uncontrolled pollution does not cause the US the same problems (dark hazes/pollution clouds, etc.) that actually exist in East Asia
2) the SEC can protect our investments, hold industry accountable, and safeguard investor confidence so that US markets continue to be the preferred place for companies to list and investors to invest
3) the US can regain its universal AAA credit rating, restore confidence in the “full faith and credit” of the US government, and get our fiscal house in order
4) all working Americans will be able to have a dignified retirement (and therefore be able to take the risks during their careers that can produce economic growth)
5) lifesaving medical care will be available to all who need it and nobody will have to worry that unforeseen catastrophic injuries or chronic conditions will deplete their life savings
6) targeted investments can be made in the disruptive technologies of tomorrow, in the same way that computers, microprocessors, the Internet, and affordable commercial aviation were enabled, in large part, because of similar government investments in the past
7) we can build a domestic energy infrastructure and no longer rely on foreign sources of oil from politically volatile regions
8) we can make education more affordable and attempt to restore the American Dream by promoting class mobility
9) we can provide more loans or loan guarantees to small businesses, the real engine of job creation, so that they can expand and hire more workers
11) and we can invest in scientific research that has the potential to cure illness, improve productivity, and advance our understanding of the universe
I would agree to this plan. If you are not willing to pay for these programs, how can you ask others to?