Our politics has been compared to vice president. Sometimes, a more appropriate metaphor is that we live in a cartoon. Every good cartoon needs a supervillain or three. Our supervillains have created millions of jobs, made goods cheaper and more accessible, and revolutionized access to information, among other horrific things.
I mean billionaires. Reasonable people debate and disagree about the best way to write tax laws. “Tax the rich” protests have long been at the heart of progressive politics. But last week’s Met Gala was a reminder that there’s something else behind these calls: seemingly legitimate hatred, or at least disgust. Why?
Of course, the Met Gala is a convenient backdrop for this criticism: It’s a ridiculous event that brings together lots of super-rich people, good friends in fancy outfits, and, in at least one instance, protest one’s own existence. This year, however, it’s even more convenient, as the party is sponsored by our main cartoon villain, Jeff Bezos.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said in a more civil criticism: “If Jeff Bezos can donate $10 million to sponsor the Met Gala, he can afford to pay his fair share of taxes.” Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) had a more pointed view:
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., went on to tell comedian Ilana Glazer that she herself is worth a fortune and that making $1 billion is simply out of the question. “You can gain market power, you can break the rules, you can abuse labor laws, you can pay people less than they deserve,” she said, “but you can’t earn it.”
The common theme here is that Bezos et al. In fact, they don’t just have to pay an unfair tax rate. It’s that they are evil. He’s not paying his “fair share,” he’s throwing people out on the streets, and he and others are certainly abusing the law.
reasonChristian Bridgege explained Why this general outlook betrayed economic reality last week. But it’s also important to question the basic idea that someone is evil just because they’re rich, which has become common sense in some circles. There are definitely rich people who suck. Making a product that others want doesn’t make someone a bad guy, though. Bezos founded Amazon to give people access to goods faster and often for far less money. As of December last year, the company 1.58 million people employed. he Is it our cartoon villain?
There are other examples. Sergey Brin and Larry Page gave the world virtually unlimited access to information through Google. Maybe that’s how you found this article. (Thank you.) Steve Jobs effectively put computers in our pockets, facilitating closer communication and connection with friends and loved ones near and far. Although Elon Musk is surrounded by controversy, he helped pioneer modern electric cars and is investing in technology to help people with neurological problems regain function. Why was this never part of the story?
This outrage isn’t limited to the annual Met Gala. Perhaps nothing illustrates this better than a video of New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani last month, standing on the street and telling voters with a sneer that “today, we are taxing the rich.” The proposal: A temporary residence tax on luxury apartments where the owners do not live in the city full-time. Why sneer? Because Mamdani is not in such a unit. He pointed upwards at the penthouse, naming and shaming the owner, Ken Griffin. Perhaps there needs to be discussion of an additional tax on high-end, part-time residences. It’s quite another for government leaders to express such revulsion to their constituents. One of these two men was audacious and not an ordinary citizen.
After all, Griffin is a major contributor to New York’s economy, although he has reportedly started downsize Response video. He was also an important philanthropist, give away Billions of dollars. Meanwhile, Bezos recently Donate US$100 million Donate to a New York charity that supports early childhood education. Will Bernie Sanders add this to his list of Bezos spending?
These are the posts where politicians want to tax the rich. But why do they seem to despise them? appeared first on Reason.com.
