Taxidreamy

Bear with me; before I’m done here, I’m going to justify the graduated income tax.


But first, I need to relate an old Steve Martin joke:

Steve Martin

How do you make a million dollars and not pay any income tax?

First, yougetamilliondollars.

Then, when the tax man comes around and asks why you pay no taxes, you simply say: “I…FORGOT!”

Well, the humor was more in his delivery, you know, with the arrow-through-the-head gag and that I’m-smarter-than-you smirk on his face.

Anyway, to return to my premise, I’m not exactly going to justify the income part of the tax, just the graduated part, so—

First, yougetanincometax.

Then, when the rich people come around and say they shouldn’t have to pay more, you say, “OH, YEAH!?”

Except, then I would add,  Just chafe on this:

As Speaker-in-Waiting Representative John Boehner has sniffled, it’s all about The American Dream.

But there’s only so much American Dream to go around. And the rich people have more of it.

I don’t mean to be glib; I’ll elaborate.

Let’s take just one part of The American Dream: home ownership.

Homes require real estate. Real estate has finite limits. Rich people own more of it. Other people, of physical necessity, are left with less. See the disparity?

Nor can all of us grow up to be the President of the United States.

Because there’s only one president for a four-year term and there are 300 million of us. It would take 1,200,000,000 years. Ain’t gonna happen. Not surprisingly, rich people tend to be presidents.

Or how about wealth itself?

It’s an unfortunate part of the nature of wealth that, in order to have it, you must have something to which you can compare it. That something is non-wealth or lesser affluence. In bald terms, the only way you know you’re rich is if there are poor people. That's why even my pension would make me a rich man in some destitute corners of this planet.

But this is America. And American wealth is some of the wealthiest wealth, so to speak. We Americans make it so.

Do you get it?

America, the United States, is not a dream. It’s a real thing with defined geographic limits, finite amounts of natural resources, limited beachside property, just so much fresh water, operating in fixed time, with a restricted field of most things measurable. Because of those limits, wealthy people don't have just a larger share, they have a disproportionate piece of that America; the only way they can have more is if we have less.

Meanwhile, the rest of us make it possible. By our profit-creating labor. By our adherence to our code of laws and justice—including property rights. By paying taxes. By purchasing goods and services. By our investments. By borrowing money or using credit cards and paying interest. By electing rich people to national office. By manning (yes, and woman-ing) our armed forces. By fighting and dying in America’s wars.

We create the wealth. We sustain the wealth. We defend the wealth. We are the wealth.

Without Americans, there is no American Dream.

Taxes are the basic price of that dream.

But a premium dream comes with a premium price. It’s the American way.

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Don’t get me started: Sydney or the Bush!

In the midst of all the maneuvering, manipulating and monkey business over renewing the Bush Tax Cuts, I can offer a sure-fire, never-miss program that will guarantee that the wealthiest Americans reinvest in our economy:
    1. Tax them.
    2. Spend the money.

No muss, no fuss. And with much more immediate economic effect than the never-has-worked-yet “trickle down” theory—what a crock that is!

Let’s face it: the reason the richest Americans are so wealthy is because the rest of us have been supporting them, not just with our labor, but also by shouldering up and soldiering for an America that allows them to accumulate that sort of fortune.

Beyond that, can you tell me that the sweat on their brows is worth $15,000,000 a year, while the sweat on yours is worth only $15,000?

Give me a break!

I’ll tell you what: there’s a “trickle up” theory that has already been proven. Let’s invest in that.

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Given the finger

Research results, published in today’s edition of the on-line news summary Science Daily, lend further support to the genetic determination of personality and behavior.

In an ongoing study at Britain’s Teesside University, it has been noted that relative finger size, in which the ring finger is compared to the index finger, a ratio determined by the amount of testosterone exposure before birth, can be an indicator of “mental toughness” and sports acuity later in life. Specifically, the longer the ring finger is in comparison to the index finger, the more this sports and mental toughness trait manifests itself.

I had read of a similar study some years ago in which it was found that these finger length ratios were related to sports ability. This type of data is what has helped me to conclude that our personality and behavior is governed by our own specific biology more than anything else.

For me this has significant implications regarding many common assumptions. For instance, if certain criminal behaviors are primarily the result of biological influences, no amount of incarceration, rehabilitative or otherwise, is going to be successful in correcting it on a wide scale.

In practical application, it may mean that we need to rethink our approach to criminal justice. Perhaps direct medical intervention would be more effective in deterrence. I’m just saying.

It may also suggest that finding true compromise in political controversies may be as easy as convincing the other side to grow taller.

Or that cultures whose members identify more with their social roles will be unlikely to embrace the customs and traditions of a society based on rugged individualism.

Or that there may be actual physical differences between peoples that see themselves as part of nature and groups that see nature as something in opposition that must be subdued.

The relevance would reach all facets of human interaction—if we can accept ourselves in this way.

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