An open letter to Paul Krugman
How come Johnny gets to go the park and I don’t? Jill’s got candy and I didn’t get any. Look what the Jones’ got. I WANT SOME!!!! WHERE’S MINE!!!!!!!!!!!!! These are the kind of expressions you expect to hear from five year olds, not mature adults, right? And yet, the “effervescent” Paul Krugman wrote a column the other day which whisked me back to the good ol’ days of bobbing for lost toys in the water closet.
What’s got Paul so upset? The disparity between the haves and the have nots. He’s noticed along with the rest of liberal America that some people are getting ahead in this country, and some aren’t. Some folks are making a whole lot of money ( mark that as a whole lot more than you and me). Anyway, Paul’s mad as hell over the difference in income between the Bill Gates’ of the world and mere mortals like the rest of us. And he’s asking…no, jumping up and down and screaming is more like it: WHERE’S MINE! How come he gets to make a million five a year and I don’t? How come I don’t get the same tax breaks as the richest 1 percent of Americans?
I have an answer for you, Paul. To tell you the truth, I’m a little surprised that a professor of economics (at Princeton no less) isn’t privy to this information, but I’m gonna help you out.
Let’s see, oh yeah–The reason the richest 1 percent are the richest 1 percent is because they took a little initiative and made something of themselves, as opposed to whining and crying about what they haven’t got. Secondly, the reason the rich are getting tax breaks is due to the fact that they are the ones paying most of the taxes.
If you’re so upset about the income disparity in this country, or the tax breaks to the richest 1 percent, why don’t you get proactive and do something to increase your own value. I suggest a little self reflection, Paul, followed by some brainstorming. After you figure “it” out, move ahead and actually produce something, which adds value to other peoples’ lives. Quit whining from your bully pulpit (the New York Times) and take action. Your sermonizing is anathema to those of us who actually work for a living, especially those of us who invest our lives in others to teach them that they can make something of themselves. Get a life and quit worrying about the “fact” that tax relief bought your neighbor’s Porsche.
Sincerely,
Chad Phillips
Exactly!
According to the IRS:
The Top 50% of wage earners pay 96.54% of All Income Taxes.
The Top 1% Pay More Than a Third: 34.27%
So that means that the bottom 50% of wage earners only pay 3.46% of all income taxes.
It’s easy to make excuses as to why you are poor but don’t hold it against another person because they did what it takes to make a lot of money. It takes hard work, determination, sacrifice, the ability to see the big picture, and the ability to delay instant gratification.
These are things that most people won’t do and so they continue to be poor. That’s a choice that you make.
The United States is full of immigrants who came to this country, many not speaking English, and worked their tails off, sacrificed, and then made themselves rich. So if an immigrant can do it then why can’t your average American?
American’s can do it too. I have no patience for lazy people who complain that someone else made it and they didn’t. It’s the victim mentality, the “I deserve” mentality, the welfare mentality.
Those thought patterns will keep you poor! That’s too bad but it’s your choice. And our lives are a direct result of the choices that we’ve made.