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Elizabeth Warren will raise taxes on the poor.

OK, true, that's just *one* way of looking at this fascinating exercise in clueless class warfare.

By: Moe Lane (Diary)  |  September 22nd, 2011 at 03:00 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

To set the scene: below is an annotated excerpt from the ‘independent’ video that is currently causing shortness of breath (and soon probably lightness of wallet) among the contingent of the Online Left who really and truly believe that their professional politician class is avoiding full-throated, Huey Long-style, Left-populist rants for no good reason.  Well, Elizabeth Warren, new-minted sacrificial lamb Democratic candidate for MA-SEN, is there to give ‘em what they want!

What do they want?  To tax the poor!
When do they want it?  Right now… wait, what?

Yeah, there’s the problem there.  This interpretation (which I first saw from Lee Stranahan) of what Warren was trying to say takes into account rhe minor detail that making our current tax system more ‘fair’ will first require us to go out and tell the 45% of American households not paying income tax that they need to start paying income tax.  Elizabeth Warren’s too afraid to do that, of course – heck, she wouldn’t even show the elementary courage needed to support Obama’s dead-on-arrival jobs bill – so I did her a favor by putting up the video.  Because, really, it’s very responsible of her to take the position that taxes need to be raised – gathered – on people making less than fifty grand a year.  Pure political suicide, but responsible.

Of course, there are also alternative opinions about Warren’s meaning.  For example, Mark Hemingway thinks that this is a straw man argument, and that Warren is busily trying to class warfare her way out of the rhetorical trap that the Left has busily created for itself over the need for government.  Ramesh Ponnuru takes the argument to its ultimate extreme, and finds a mandate for permanent agricultural subsidies (the Monsanto megacorp is going to love that one).  Me?  …Well, I did do the (above) video, so I’m kind of with Stranahan; but I have to admit that the default option of Elizabeth Warren is dumber than a sackful of hammers has a certain ring to it.  If only because it’d mean that she has that special stupidity that’s only available to technically bright people who bubble themselves away from the real world because it’s just too damn scary for words.  I enjoy seeing that kind of stupidity in the opposition party: it tends to eventually self-destruct in an entertaining fashion.

Moe Lane (crosspost)

PS: Last two links were via somebody or other; had a browser crash, lost them.  Sorry.

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COMMENTS

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  • Russ Martin

    This woman is a poster child for the left. Ms. Warren at least has the courage (or stupidity) to actually say what everyone else on the left believe.

    When “average” Americans see this, they will gain a much better understanding of what the left is really about.

    Get this woman on every TV and radio program possible.

    Or better yet – have the RNC run a 30 second TV commercial during the Super Bowl!

  • tailfins1959

    I REALLY liked Limbaugh’s question: How many pensions will she collect when she retires? I hope to get a chance at one of her campaign events!

  • overtaxedtim

    I used to think Democrats were just well intentioned but wrong. I have given up on this philosophy. Maybe this is all intentional?

    Obama Needs to Go

  • earlgrey

    made anything she has a very condescending tone towards those that have.

  • JimmyGee

    When I used to get discouraged because Clinton was in office, I used to console myself by being “higher-minded;” that the democrats were the “Ying”, to the GOP “Yang.”
    What I know is that everything in life has limits. How much weight will a floor support until it collapses, or how much weight can be put on a rocket before it will cause a catastrophic failure. In engineering the norm was a safety factor of three; that a system was designed to handle three times it’s rated limit.
    This country has moved beyond it’s rated safety factors, there is no longer any leeway. The democrats (and establishment republicans) have moved this country to the brink of collapse. Imagine if China called in it’s notes, or attacked Taiwan, or the European Union defaults? All real possibilities.
    I feel like a witness to a tragic accident, the surreal disbelief paralyzes the mind. Is this really happening? This CAN’T be happening! More importantly, this CAN’T be happening by accident or incompetence.
    Can Obama and his minions like Warren, Pelosi, Reid, be this misguided, or are they destabilizing the country on purpose?
    That fact that there are as many people listening to the ignorance that Warren has about how government works I find very disheartening for the future of this country.
    Maybe at one time the democrats were the Ying to the GOP’s Yang. Maybe the 1950′s? But I now think of the democrats as a cancer that needs to be excised.

  • benjaminz

    Listen to this woman.

    All that needs to be said.

  • notpropagandized

    What an excellent example this woman is to show that the socialist communists are parasites. They think another’s effort and success has no value or virtue, but dedicate themselves to harness government to steal from the successful. Pretty much everybody admits that when you tax something you’ll get less of it. So a millionaire/billionaire tax will reduce the quantity and the tax revenues will diminish. Then they’ll have to denigrate something else to whip up the electorate to approve taxing (stealing from) that target. Over and over again, these people are thieves and mask their crime by getting the mobs to agree with them (like GM/Chrysler > CongressionalMob).

    If she’s to be successful, well Massachusetts, NewYork, Maryland or California are good places to give it a whirl.

  • swami7774

    Maybe, after viewing this, more RSers will be more willing to back Scott Brown next year.
    It can always get worse, folks.

  • Darin_H

    a little competition really brings out the stupidity.

  • unclefred

    Not so much…
    So that we all understand, a week after she announced she polled 2 points ahead of Brown (46-44 if I remember correctly) . As absurd as we may think she is, she is running in Massachusetts and this nonsense sells there.

    From time to time I have told you that, despite his popularity and his war chest, Brown had his work cut out for him and really should be considered an underdog.

    This is an interesting race because the Dems will pull out all the stops to take this seat. They will spend money like water. It is a lightening rod for Senatorial elections in 2012. I savor the fact that they will burn so many resources in a state that they have taken for granted for 40+ years. Yet I really would like to hold it. I realize that most of the people here do not like Brown very much. Still keeping this seat helps getting to 60, and it really would be sweet to deny the left this seat. Brown has a large war chest, but he will be out spent. If he stays competitive, I hope that some will consider tossing him a few nickels down the road.

  • carolina

    Academics are generally ‘out to lunch’. She is a prime example.

  • reaganbuckley

    So she thinks federal taxes need to be higher on Mr. Factory Owner because:

    1. Police and Fire Departments protect factory from marauding bands

    aren’t those departments funded on a state and local level and not by the federal government.? Isn’t that what property taxes are for. I guess if the FBI got involved that would involve federal money, but the chances of that happening are probably infrequent.

    2. It pays for educating the workforce

    Isn’t that also state and local for the most part? Once again property taxes pay the bulk and then state taxes for public universities. Universities do get some federal funding for research I presume and I guess if the factory makes velcro or some biomedical product some small tax to fund NASA or the NIH may be in order, but that can’t be much.

    3. Federal funds pay for highways
    - isn’t that the point of a gas tax. some additional funding may come from federal stimulus or highway funds, but once again probably not that much.

    Just don’t see how any of the issues she brought up require sending much money (at least not more than 10%) to the federal government, since much of what she talks about is taken care of by state and local gov’t. I guess that’s why I’m a Conservative.

  • http://www4.webng.com/rickbull/lostlucky/ rickbull

    However, the Fed misappropriates taxes from road fuel to subsidize Amtrak and other commuter rails that only charge passengers half of what it costs to take them from point A to point B. Also used for bike and walking trails, and hundreds of other things that fuel taxes should not be paying for.

    What Ms. Warren fails to mention is that the roads, education and police and fire protection are supported by taxes on the business, its owners, its stockholders, its employees, employees of supporting industries as well as the industries and owners themselves.

    She apparently thinks that the majority of taxpayers who pay for everything just get that money delivered from Heaven every two weeks. Well, those taxpayers have jobs working in factories and other industries, so yes, Mr. Factory Owner _IS_ paying the lion’s share of those services by creating employment that pays salaries from which taxes are deducted.

    Give me half a chance: I’ll call her out on this issue!