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BBHQ Boomer Essays: |
| Our Boomer-In-Charge here at BBHQ, Hershel Chicowitz, writes frequently about current events... from a boomer perspective. He is sometimes funny, sometimes provocative, sometimes a little of each. We hope you get a kick out of our Boomer Essays. |
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We've Got to Have More Money!
One of the things that amazes me about our politicians is that they continually claim that there is not enough money. Federal spending has increased by 50% in the last decade. Imagine if, in 1994, we had said, "Would 50% more money be enough"? Well, I would surely imagine so.
Yet, here we are, and 50% more is still not enough.
In 1994, the federal government spent $40 billion on education. That's four, followed by ten zeroes. Now remember, most of the education funds are raised and spent at the local level, where it is spent most wisely. Nonetheless, because no money spent on education is considered wasteful spending, we spend still more.
How Much is Enough?
Ten years later, how much would be enough? Fifty billion? Sixty? Seventy? A couple years ago, Democratic Senator Kennedy essentially designed the "No Child Left Behind" education act, which President Bush enthusiastically supported. In fiscal year 2004, the federal government will spend 85 billion dollars on education - over TWICE the amount that was spent a decade ago. (http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2005/sheets/hist03z1.xls)
And still, the criticism from the Democrats is that it is still not enough.
Again I ask, enormously puzzled, how much would be enough?
So.... What's a Hungry Politician to Do?
Well, on June 28 Senator Hillary Clinton, surely a major force in the Democratic party, said to a group of her wealthy supporters: "Many of you are well enough off that... the tax cuts may have helped you. We're saying that for America to get back on track, we're probably going to cut that short and not give it to you. We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good."
(That is what she really meant by "it takes a village." She meant "We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good.")
Oh, I know... I know what you are saying: Senator Clinton is not the Democratic nominee. Indeed, the presumptive nominee, Senator John Kerry, has said he wants a middle-class tax cut.
Middle class tax cut. Hmmmmmm.... "middle-class tax cut." Where have I heard that before? "Middle-class tax cut." "Middle-class tax cut." It does ring a bell.
Oh, yeah; I remember. It was candidate Bill Clinton, in 1992, promising a middle-class tax cut. And what happened after he was elected? The largest tax increase in history, that's what happened.
So pardon me if I suspect that, under a Democratic administration, there would be no tax cut, and even more spending... and more taxes.
Again I ask, in vain, how much would be enough?
The Solution
Well, I have a solution. Yep; a simple, brilliant solution. In the summer of 1864, General William Tecumseh Sherman said, "If war is the remedy our enemy has chosen. I say let us give him all we can."
Exactly one hundred forty years later, the Chicowitz says, "If taxes is the remedy our enemy has chosen, let us give him all we can."
Oh, I don't mean just more taxes - not an across-the-board tax increase. And I don't mean just a tax increase for the rich. In the blink of an eye, the rich could be defined as anyone making a decent salary. No, I mean a tax increase for the beautiful people - the people for whom enough never seems to be enough.
Since rich Democrats are constantly crying out for more spending and more taxes, why can't they just tax themselves more? Several years ago, I reminded one of my liberal friends (the one who will not allow me to use even her first name in this column any more) that her tax liability was the minimum she had to pay; she could always pay more.
She immediately changed the subject.
But the problem with Phyllis is probably that she is not quite rich enough.
The Shadow IRS
The Democratic party has a database of hundreds of thousands of wealthy patrons. Why can't they use this list as a basis for a shadow tax roll - a special list of taxpayers to pick up the slack left behind by the rest of us? The Democratic National Committee (DNC) could establish a shadow tax liability for every one of their wealthy supporters, send a bill, and collect the money. They could either donate this revenue to the federal government, or, better yet, use it to fund the programs of their choosing.
Not enough money for education? Fine, one year they could direct their collected money to education. Not enough money for condoms. One year they could buy all the strawberry-flavored Trojans that Akron could produce.
The Shadow IRS Tax Roll
How much money are we talking about here? It's a reasonable question. And in typical Democratic fashion, I reply that I haven't the slightest idea. But, Sunday afternoon I jotted down a list of all of the wealthy Democrats I know of who slam Republicans who want people to keep more of the money they earn, and ballparked an estimated tax liability. Here's what I came up with (annual shadow tax liability in millions of dollars):
| Aaron Brown (CNN) | 2 | John Edwards | 3 | |
| Aaron Sorkin | 1 | Jon Bon Jovi | 2 | |
| Al Franken | 3 | Jon Corzine | 2 | |
| Al Gore | 4 | Katie Couric | 1 | |
| Al Sharpton | 1 | Lauren Bacall | 1 | |
| Alex Baldwin | 2 | Madonna | 3 | |
| Barbara Boxer | 1 | Marc Rich | 10 | |
| Ben Afleck | 1 | Mario Cuomo | 1 | |
| Bill Clinton | 5 | Martin Sheen | 2 | |
| Bill Moyers | 1 | Maureen Dowd (NY Times) | 1 | |
| Bob Graham | 1 | Meg Ryan | 1 | |
| Barbra Streisand | 8 | Meryl Streep | 2 | |
| Charles Kushner (Real Estate) | 2 | Michael Eisner | 5 | |
| Charlie Rose | 1 | Michael Moore | 5 | |
| Chevy Chase | 1 | Molly Ivins | 1 | |
| Dan Rather | 2 | Nancy Pelosi | 5 | |
| David Geffin | 5 | Neil Diamond | 2 | |
| Robert Rubin | 3 | Norman Lear | 3 | |
| Diane Feinstein | 2 | Oprah Winfrey | 5 | |
| Donald Trump | 10 | Ozzy Osbourne | 1 | |
| Dustin Hoffman | 1 | Paul Krugman (NY Times) | 1 | |
| Frank Lautenberg | 2 | Paul Newman | 2 | |
| Gary Trudeau | 1 | Peter Jennings | 2 | |
| George Soros | 20 | Peter Lewis (Progressive Corp.) | 5 | |
| Harold Ickes | 2 | Rob Reiner | 3 | |
| Harry Thomason | 2 | Robert Reich | 2 | |
| Hillary Clinton | 5 | Ron Silver (actor) | 2 | |
| Howard Metzenbaum | 3 | Rosie O'Donnell | 3 | |
| Howard Stern | 2 | Ross Perot | 10 | |
| James Carville | 1 | Sarah Jessica Parker | 2 | |
| Jane Fonda | 3 | Sean Penn | 2 | |
| Jane Harmon (Rep., CA) | 2 | Spike Lee | 3 | |
| Janeane Garofalo | 1 | Steven Jobs | 10 | |
| Jay Rockefeller | 5 | Steven Spielberg | 5 | |
| Jessica Lange | 1 | Susan Sarandan | 1 | |
| Jimmy Buffett | 2 | Ted Kennedy | 20 | |
| Jimmy Carter | 1 | Terry McAuliffe | 5 | |
| Joel Hyatt | 3 | Tom Brokaw | 2 | |
| John & Teresa Kerry | 30 | Walter Mondale | 1 | |
| Elton John | 2 | Warren Buffett | 30 | |
| Mike Wallace | 2 | Don Hewitt | 2 |
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A million bucks may seem like a lot to you and me. But I assure you,
Barbra Streisand could fork over 8 million without batting an eyelash.
Whoopi - 2 mil is nothing to this big loser. Ten million to billionaire
felon Mark Rich is a drop in the bucket. The second-richest man in the
world, Warren Buffett, has advocated higher taxes; he has said that he did
not need a tax cut. Fine; that'll be 30 million a year, Mr.
Money-bags. I have a rationale for every person on the list. If you do not recognize the name or the rationale for any of them, ask me. I'll provide the details. But, there is my list. |
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How much does it amount to? Spare the battery on your calculator - it is over $300 million. Now, that is not much, but consider the source. I do not know any of the heavy hitters; I have no idea. That is just a list I compiled on the spot while watching the Olympic trials on Sunday. Surely that list barely scratches the surface. I'll bet that the DNC could come up with ten times that much without working up a sweat. Again, save your calculator - that's over three billion dollars.
Of course, payments to the Shadow IRS would be voluntary. But the DNC could enforce it by inviting only rich cats who are paid up to attend their beautiful people parties. And what rich Democrat could pass on that?
A Billion Here, a Billion There
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Oh, I know.... three billion is not a lot. But as the late Senator
Everett Dirksen was quoted as saying, "A billion here and a billion
there, and before long, you're talking real money."
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everett_Dirksen) Three billion, and a little cooperation from some Democratic doctors, and you could get a complete physical exam for every one of the supposed 40 million Americans who do not have health insurance. (You do the math, but as one of those 40 million, I can tell you, I would pass on the opportunity.) |
Need more condoms? What do those things run these days, 40 cents a piece? Half a buck? (You're asking the wrong boomer here.) Anyway, three billion dollars will buy six billion condoms at half a buck a piece. That's 250 condoms for every male child under the age of 18. Whew! Talk about no child left behind!!
Three billion? That's $120 for text books for every student in the country. (Do they still use text books? OK, 10 DVDs, then. Is that better?)
And if they needed still more? Instead of complaining to the masses, they would up the ante to every member of the Shadow IRS contributor list. I have a hunch that it would not take long before they found out how much was enough.
The Bottom Line
Anyway, the DNC could do this right now. Tomorrow. They do not have to pass a constitutional amendment. They do not need a act of Congress to create and maintain the Shadow IRS. They do not need to have a Democratic president in the White House. All the data is there; the foundation is there. All they have to do is do it.
Problem solved.
But I suspect they will not. Not a chance. What do you think?
I suspect they will not because they have no interest in taxing themselves. They have a great interest in taxing YOU.
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If you like what we're doing here at BBHQ, please help us by buying stuff through our link to Amazon.com:
| The BBHQ Album of the Month is "Old Friends Live on Stage (Deluxe Edition) (2 CD/1 DVD)," by Simon & Garfunkel. If you were fortunate enough to see them in concert last year, I do not have to sell you. The concert was terrific! This album collection includes 55 songs, plus their new recording, "Citizen of the Planet," and one of the songs sung by the Everly Brothers during the concert. The DVD was recorded during their concert in Madison Square Garden in 2003. For any S&G fan, this is a must have! But then, you knew that already, didn't you? |
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The BBHQ Book of the Month is
"Vinyl Highway," by
Dee Dee Phelps. You remember her as Dee Dee, of Dick and Dee Dee.
Together, they took a decade long ride on the rock and roll roller
coaster. It was a heck of a ride! Dick Clark, Quincy Jones, the Beach
Boys, Glenn Campbell, Dionne Warwick, Bobby Vinton... Dick and Dee Dee
rubbed shoulders with all of them. This is her "behind the scenes" story.
It's pretty cool.
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