There is no instance in recorded history of a population increasing its own prosperity through taxation.
Historically, only Industry and Plunder result in prosperity. Occasionally those two things coincide.
Taxation benefits a small minority of the ruling class and increases the ‘desire for’ and ‘power of’ bureaucrats and bureaucratic institutions. It’s a form of wealth redistribution not unlike what was executed in Russia from 1917-1923.
The logical end to this thread is greater centralized control. Perhaps this is great when “your guy” is in power, but hopefully he isn’t for very long — on both sides.
The rate of violent crime is directly correlated to the median income of a given community. It is reasonable to assume that as a community increases its median income, the rate of violent crime decreases.
Italian-American immigrants in the early 1900s are a good real-world example.
Though their behaviors have since been glorified in film, there were many violent criminals, particularly on the East Coast, of lower income Italian-American backgrounds. As many escaped poverty, and increased the median income of the group, the Italian-American dissociated from the violent image. It is now viewed nostalgically.
This is relevant to today’s plight of X Group because, particularly when looking at racial arguments, there is a clear discrepancy between racial groups. This is a multivariate problem that is by no means the result of one specific practice, policy or ideology. Additionally, I use X Group as a placeholder for whichever group the Media has deemed ‘entitled to victimhood’.
On a policy-specific basis, many of us may counter that “Biden’s proposal only impacts people who make $400,000 or more annually.”
This is a terrible kind of criminality on behalf of bureaucrats. If we look at the cost of living in a major city (where most people live) and estimate a comfortable living at:
- $100/ day in rent
- $50/ day in food per person (avg eating out 1x/ week)
- $20/ day in utilities (incl cell, gas for car)
- $10/ day in car payment (per car)
- $5/ day in insurance
- $5/ day in entertainment (streaming services).
At the end of the year we’re looking at nearly $80,000 plus taxes just to exist individually. So, to comfortably exist (not saving anything) we can estimate $120,000 in today’s dollars with tax.
Keep in mind this does not include vacations, student loans or the cost of children.
$120,000 for debt slavery.
If you get to $200,000, you can take a vacation or two.
Maybe you can have a kid.
But you’re right back to debt slavery if you do.
Now, once you reach the $400,000 threshold you actually begin to get ahead.
Pull out of the indentured servitude in which we are born.
So what do bureaucrats do?
Cap you at the knees.
They have no interest in your leaving the system, because once we lose the need to worry about where we are going to get our next meal we begin to look at them and ask why they are doing such a terrible job (both sides).
Keep in mind, many of them are quite wealthy themselves. But the wealthy ones aren’t the ones seeking to cut you down…
It’s the ones who, themselves, are caught in debt slavery and want to insulate themselves from it by taxing you to boost their own salaries. They create an identifiable “other” and, in turn, lead you to turn on yourself and your family.
Congresspeople make $174,000 annually as public servants.
Perhaps these once-lower-income Congresspeople are truly out for the good of the people and view that $400,000 number as large.
In that case, they are mistaken, and further, ignorant of society and the negative impact of their actions and policy making.
If we aren’t ignorant, why are we voting people like this into office?
If we are to suppose that prosperity can only be achieved by a prosperous populous, it seems backwards to decrease the populous’ ability to achieve prosperity.
William J Ralph 