Psuedo Wisdom Gone Viral?

Much has been made of late of remarks made by Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren at a recent Andover house party. In case you somehow missed it, click HERE for a link to her original comments. The comments have, so we've been told, are in the process of going viral which is meant to indicate popularity and, perhaps, great veracity. Frankly, the whole thing seems to smack of grasping at straws, but if I were a newbie candidate who decided that the U.S. Senate seat might be an appropriate goal for one's initial try at elective office, I might encourage that thinking too. Especially given that incumbent, Scott Brown, may well be unbeatable. At the same time, we realize anything is possible here in the land of the Moon Bat.

There's much truth in Ms. Warren's statement. But if government stuck to what it does fairly well—roads, police, fire and the courts; enforcing contracts that help businesses interact with their customers and other businesses—the federal government wouldn't need to spend over $3.5 trillion a year, as it now does. And of course it's state and local governments—and not Washington—that primarily fund police, fire and education, so it's a bit strange to ask the rich to pay their fair share of federal income taxes because they enjoy police protection.

He continues by citing a more basic reason for the widespread resistance to increased taxes:

Much government spending supports activities that are ineffective or even harmful to the economy, often helping the politically powerful at the expense of the rest of us. Wouldn't it be great for the federal government to stop federal export subsidies, propping up financial institutions, meddling in the education system, and trying to engineer the entire health system from the top down? If the feds stopped all that, Ms. Warren would have a stronger point. We could all feel some gratitude for government's role in helping us live better lives. All of us, rich and poor, would look at government differently.

Say what you want, but we are getting tired of this assault on "the rich", whoever they may be, and their refusal to pay their "fair share" of taxes, whatever that might be. Somehow, We don't think the high earners are refusing to support maintaining roads and paying the cops a fair wage.

Give Roberts' ARTICLE a read and let's try to put some balance back in this discussion.