It is almost impossible to comprehend what it is about taxes that makes Democrats feel so warm and fuzzy inside. When you speak to the average American, April 15th is a day of dread. If you're talking to a politician who's a Democrat, however, it's state-sponsored Christmas, replete with visions of extorted money dancing in their heads.
St. Obama of Lightweight (D-Cuba) was on Meet The Press this morning and trying to get a seat with the adults again. He's at his best when he simply smiles and speaks in generalities but every once in a while he tries to break away from the cult of personality that's gotten him this far and say something specific. The first time he tried this he promised a lunch date with all the dictators in the world if he became president. Today he renewed his love affair with the Internal Revenue Service.
The subject: Social Security. The solution: more taxes! (I'm convinced that if you wake a Democratic presidential candidate up from a deep sleep he or she will yell, "It's all George Bush's fault and we need higher taxes to fix it!)
Democrats make themselves feel smart by telling other Democrats that Republicans are stupid. I have to wonder, though, about a group of candidates who are so intellectually limited that they can only find one solution to every complex problem facing this country. True, they don't want to spend money on the war but they've already earmarked every dollar going to fight terrorism for something else, like building windmills in Nebraska to generate enough power for a small night light. Additional night lights will require additional taxes for additional windmills, of course.
Like every other time he's spoken specifically, Sunday's quotes from St. Obama reveal once again that he has about as much substance as cotton candy. "I think the best way to approach this is to adjust the cap on the payroll tax so that people like myself are paying a little bit more," he said regarding Social Security. All of that book learnin' and this is "the best way" to deal with the looming SS nightmare?
Here we arrive at another one of those key differences between Democrats and Republicans that doesn't get discussed enough: Democrats think you are too ignorant to take care of your own money. If you don't believe me, tell one of the presidential candidates that you'd rather be able to invest some of your SS money privately. They'll react as if you just said you wanted to kill their pets. Then they'll accuse you of threatening the legacy of FDR, kidnapping the Lindbergh baby and spiking Lindsay Lohan's drinks. You see, when it comes to Social Security, the liberal and progressive Democrats want to make sure everything stays exactly as it was in 1935.
Never mind that Obama is primarily talking about taxing "the rich" in this one instance. This rabid penalizing of "the rich" that the Democrats are so fond of always trickles down to hurt the middle class and the poor.
Countries from England to Chile to, more recently, Poland have been allowing private investment in their versions of social security with great success. Guess what kids? When the money is managed privately instead of by the government the administrative costs are lower. This is based on a complicated economic model called "The Freakin' Obvious".
Even with safeguards in place, you stand to realize greater returns on your money with private investment than with a completely government controlled Social Security system. The very people who have run this system into the ground economically are trying to tell you that you're still better off letting them handle your money. If you do it it's too "risky" according to them. Imagine a guy who comes by every day at noon, stabs you in the back and then tells you that you need him to protect you. If you won the lottery tomorrow who would you rather have handle the money-Warren Buffet or the House of Representatives? Exactly.
So, Barack, I'll keep my hand on my wallet as long as you're speaking, thank you. Go read this from the National Center for Policy Analysis and find out just how many leaders in other countries have come up with solutions that involve creativity, intelligence and belief in people. For now, your "best way" of handling anything is to shut up, smile and let the press keep fawning over you for no reason whatsoever.
Cross posted at Grizzly Groundswell and Real Clear Politics (Vote for it!)
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