Conservatives, Stop Trashing Hard Working Americans

It's getting a little tiresome constantly hearing the voices of conservative America insulting hard working Americans. Cut it out - the rich are willing to work just as hard as anyone.

To listen to Rush Limbaugh, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and their fellow travelers, we should believe that high earning Americans will go on strike if tax rates merely revert to 2000 levels.

Do they really think that Type A deal doers will do fewer deals because they would have to kick back a little more to the public treasury? Will bond trader s striving for $10 million bonuses toss it all aside because they might pay an extra few hundred thousand in taxes? Are small business owners who can earn $400,000 going to cut back their business operations to earn only $250,000, just to avoid paying $6000 in taxes?

Reed Hasting, CEO of Netflix, got it right: "Besides, half of a giant compensation package is still pretty huge, and most of our motivation is the sheer challenge of the job anyway." And he was arguing for 50% marginal tax rates on high income earners.

More insulting is the notion conservatives put forward that high income earners don't understand that they do very well --even better than they can do now -- when the economy does very well. Can you expand a business when consumers can't buy your products? Many high earners realize that consumer spending and business expansion won't happen in the economic conditions Obama inherited without targeted public investments helping tens of millions of working families keep jobs and avoid foreclosures.

Contrary to the culture of entitlement and dependency conservatives have promoted for those at the high end, better off Americans already seem to understand that after a long binge, they need to do a little more to help the country recover, Candidate Obama was very clear that he intended to let the Bush tax cuts expire on those earning $250,000 and up - and the majority of voters in that demographic cast their ballots for him.

But what if the Republican voices of rational self interest are right? What if the return of somewhat higher tax rates in fact induces those currently earning, say, $1,000,000, to slow down and smell the roses instead of working so hard?

Good old competition might just take over. Undoubtedly there are talented lower earning Americans just looking for that chance to leap into the 39.6% tax bracket. They will no doubt work a little harder and smarter to get those higher paying jobs.

Unless, of course, what conservatives are really saying is that only a small elite of Americans are motivated and talented enough to be earning seven figures. But they couldn't believe that, could they? How un-American that would be.

David Abromowitz is a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress.

Comments

[Athena123]

Like others have pointed out - conversatives don't mind socialism as long as the govt is putting money into the hands of the rich. It's helping out the little guy, including the middle class, that really ruffles their feathers. I'm constantly amazed that there are some working and middle-class Americans who still believe the GOP has their best interests at heart. It's truly astonishing; especially now when most people finally realized that the republican emperor has no clothes.

[dessertsfirst]

It's all about gre ed and pow er; the more they get, the more they want. It was ok to tax the middle class people, and cut their taxes. But when they are asked what they can do for their country by re-instituting the taxes of 2000, they cry "socialism". Interestin­g....

[RaceCondition]

A rising tide lifts all boats - something the Republicans forget as soon as someone else gets something they want, and then they cry to their mommies.

[doriath22]

It's the Ayn Rand argument. C'mon guys, Atlas Shrugged was JUST A BOOK. (No better than the average Tom Clancy novel)

[demigod]

Don't you always milk the cow that gives the most milk ? What can you get from cows that don't ? Does milking them harder produce anything ? And the cow with the most milk NEEDS to be milked to stay healthy. Why is it that these people who claim to love America so much whimper and cry about their taxes ? It's only money, we're not trying to send your sons to some god-forsaken foreign dung heap to die for nothing, wasting tons of money in the process. They never made a peep about that. And the taxes raised are being plowed back into this country you claim to love. It isn't lost, it will live on in new roads, bridges, it will pay the cops, the firefighters, and the teachers. Do you tell your babies "I love you - now get your own food and shoes !"

[Davwbaird]

Here is a fact and give it some thought about what rich dudes you all are supporting
There's no limit on the number of properties on which you can deduct taxes paid. If you have 10 homes, you can deduct the taxes on all 10.

[Davwbaird]

The conservatives such as Kudlow and the like are appearing pretty unamerican to me and pro pro rich.

[Viffer]

Your missing the fact that the repugs have been sellin the notion that everone can be rich so therefore don't raise taxes on us because if your rich one day you will be taxed like us. remember the "Ownership society". Put your money in a 401k and we can then steal it, Buy this house, we get our commision and we don't care if you can keep it. After all everyone is rich enough to buy a house, and Dammit we deserve the commision. Bush's Ownership society is just a small part of the looting of America. I could enumerate ad enfinitum, but you know.

[midbikecrisis]

Again...I listen to CNBC all day while I work out of my home office!

Class warfare is being unleashed!

[Gidster]

Class warfare started at the top.

[roald]

It was unleashed many years ago.

[AceInTheHole]

First and foremost, It would serve us well to understand and wrap our brains around the fact that these people have never respected the working class, from the very beginning of this country. And that's' why slavery was so pervasive (even in New York State) and it prevailed for so long. Now it seems that the same slave owner mentality, is coming to the forefront again. But this time, the slave owners don't care care what color the slaves our. Their primary concern is to enslave as many people as they possibly can, for as little if any wages that they can impose. It is the same old story just being rehashed for the umpteenth time. But this time the slave masters what to enslave the whole world.

[ckinsobe]

They've been at it for almost 4 decades. Naomi Klein explains it very clearly inThe Shock Doctrine.

[jatrig]

FINALLY -- a short, simple, concise response to the dumbfounding approach to taxes the GOP has defended for generations. This needs to be reduced to talking points that dems repeat over and over and over and over and over and over just like the GOP did w/ their own agenda.

[obamasucks666]

RUSH is RIGHT and you liberals are drinking too much kool-aid!!!

[jham710]

You're funny. Just like Rush. Can't possibly take either of you seriously. Thank you for the laugh though.

[gintheb]

To the contrary, it seems to be the conservatives drinking the Kool-Aid. Most conservative taxpayers stand to get a tax CUT from the Obama plan. They are ordinary Americans who wouldn't know a tax loophole from their s#*thole. But, to paraphrase a term, because Rush says it or Hannity says it, or worse, Joe the Plumber says it, They belive it and that settles it. Talk about your sheeple!

[doriath22]

It's not even Rusty's idea. He cribbed it from an old Ayn Rand novel, which I doubt he read, since it's quite long and doesn't have any pictures in it; although it does have a speech by the protaganist that goes on for 116 pages. (no s**t!)

[Frod]

You are so right. Last February, I was watching some television show at my parents' house - I have no idea now what the program was, or even what it was about, but this guy mentioned how reading "Atlas Shrugged" changed his life. Well, I was looking for something to read and decided I'd try it. It IS the Bible for these corporate execs and conservatives screaming tax cuts. I would like to suggest that all of the corporate stuffed shirts who believe they are the same as the capitalist protagonists in Atlas Shrugged should follow their lead and go live in a valley in the mountains in Colorado. I wonder how long it would take them to realize nobody missed them. Oh, but wait, I don't think those book heros had gold plated commodes.

That's the problem, these tax cut conservatives think they are the saviors of all of us poor dumb teeming millions. I bet you could find qualified people to fill every one of their big corporate offices, get paid 10% of what they make, and those companies would flourish AND pay their taxes, rather than sucking money from the government (i.e. the little people who do pay their taxes.)

[zoozey]

Very good article!

[BethStuart]

I don't know about Gingrich but last time I looked, Limbaugh was pulling down $40 million a year and Romney had a net worth somewhere north of $200 million. It seems these republicans look down their noses on everyone who's beneath them on the economic ladder.

[jinxed]

And you just noticed this? I'm beginning to think the "new rich" that made their money in the last 8 years are the ones driving the conservative agenda ... pi rates don't like to share and seem to believe they are the ony ones who deserve success

[Boneszy]

I just found out I owe the government tax money this year for my first time... Weeeeee I am rich. Not really I am single and make just over 40K of which Social Security Medicare and Federal Income tax took 6k, I am not exactly poor I mean I can eat and cloth myself rather well but i am not anywhere close to rich. Alas I guess from this point forward it is up to me to pay for the less fortunate. Sucks!

[zoozey]

Maybe you owe some tax because you just didn't have enough taken out during the year?

Or, could it be, that under Bush (2008 tax year was on his watch), the middle class really did get a tax increase?

[Whatashame]

You better pay your taxes because you know they're gonna come after you. Only Rethugs have tax havens.

[jinxed]

somebody has to pay and g*d forbid it is the people who can afford it the easiest. leona helmsley summed it up with her famous quote"only little people pay taxes".

[SteveDenver]

THANK YOU for summing up the correct argument.

My boss was at a franchising summit and they mentioned how many franchise and franchising-related jobs are expected to evaporate this year.

Most of those in the middle already realize when people at the bottom do better, it lifts up the entire structure. I'm sure those at the top know it, too.