Dwain Northey (Gen X)

There is a post going around on Facebook and Instagram the many believe is the way we should view things today. The post is of the back of a SUV with “In this country we don’t redistribute wealth… we earn it!!”

It is crazy that the person that has this on the back of their vehicle most likely works for someone or a corporation that pays them fall less than the value they bring to the business. The owner of the business or CEO of the corporation has effectively redistributed that individuals time and energy into profit for the benefit of the business.

Every work a day person that punches a time clock is making someone else wealthy from their effort. Do you think a CEO or large business owner punches a time clock? No they don’t they work when they choose to work because the effort of their employees has afforded them that privilege. Those same people are the ones that say that the wealthy paying their fare share of taxes is somehow a redistribution of wealth. Them not paying is absolutely a redistribution from your pocket to theirs, and that’s the way they want to keep it.

Warren Buffet once said that it isn’t appropriate that as a percentage, he pays less in taxes than his secretary. He stated that the wealthy should have to pay more because as a whole they use more of the commons, roads, airways, other services than those earning less. Why should the person or corporation that has a fleet of vehicles, commercial or otherwise, pay the same or less than person who only has one car or uses public transportation. This argument seems logical to some but many that have much more than others feel that they are somehow entitled to not sharing the burden.  

The people that have money are the ones that say, “Money can’t buy happiness”, and, “If you love what you do it isn’t work.” Maybe money can’t buy happiness but scarcity of it can surely by misery, and I don’t know anyone that works for someone else the loves what they do. Unfortunately, the system makes it really hard for a individual that does not start out with the means to start something they enjoy that is profitable.

The ultra wealthy aren’t breaking any laws by paying less in taxes it is an unfortunate flaw in the way tax code is written. When the government writes that tax code the mega rich and corporations have lobbyist petitioning their representatives to keep their taxes low with false promises that if they have the money they will reinvest in the communities. Well Ronald Reagan introduced trickle down (supply side) economics back in the 80s…how has that worked out for everyone. It worked out great for the top 1% because they are richer than ever while the wealth gap has increased. That is a pure example of wealth redistribution, from the bottom to the top.

Over the past four decades, average household income grew by 68 percent after adjusting for inflation; however, that growth wasn’t shared equally. Average income in the highest one-fifth of the population was 114 percent higher in 2019 than it was in 1979 – almost two and a half times the growth in average income in the lowest households.

The richest 1% grabbed nearly two-thirds of all new wealth worth $42 trillion created since 2020, almost twice as much money as the bottom 99 percent of the world’s population. During the past decade, the richest 1 percent had captured around half of all new wealth.

So please get off your soapbox spouting that there isn’t wealth redistribution in this country because you, the guy in the SUV, are giving it willingly to the top 1% and you are perpetuating the lie that they want you to believe.