The class war in America spreads. Its latest front is New York, where Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) has succumbed to pressure from the public employee unions to hike taxes on higher-income families.
That’s bad enough — New York has a spending problem, not a revenue problem — but the second part of the Cuomo tax “reform” equation is the doozy. The Governor, it is reported, will raise taxes on the “rich” while lowering them for families making $150,000 or less. Therein lies the class war.
If raising revenue was the sole goal, why not A.) Raise taxes on everyone; B.) Raise taxes on the wealthy and leave everyone else be, or, better yet, C.) Repeal laws like the Wicks Law and the Triborough Amendment that drive the cost of government in New York through the roof.
Answer: Options A, B, and C. would cost the Governor and legislators votes. On “A” from all voters because no one wants his taxes raised: on “B” from all voters since the Governor would be breaking his solemn word on “No Tax Hikes” in New York, and on “C” from unionized public employees whose leaders have rigged state laws in their favor.
So, with “B” squarely in mind, the Governor is throwing the mass of New York families — those earning under $150,000 annually — a “forgetting” bone. That is, I cut your taxes, and you forget my pledge not to raise them on anyone. Deal?
Democrats all across the country are adopting this strategy. Give the masses an incentive to throw the more fortunate under the bus. It’s a cynical game that tears at the fabric of our society. Americans traditionally have not resented the success of others by and large. Some even appreciate the fact that the wealthiest provide jobs and pay far more than their share of federal, state, and local taxes. But that was then and this is now. Class war is the order of the day.
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