Comments on: Sharing Wealth http://themoderatevoice.com/23620/sharing-wealth/ An Internet hub with domestic and international news, analysis, original reporting, and popular features from the left, center, indies, centrists, moderates, and right Wed, 30 May 2012 07:46:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: ChrisWWW http://themoderatevoice.com/23620/sharing-wealth/comment-page-1/#comment-159796 ChrisWWW Mon, 20 Oct 2008 18:53:09 +0000 http://themoderatevoice.com/at-tmv/blogroll/23620/sharing-wealth/#comment-159796 Manchester2,<br>Are you admitting that American capitalism is incapable of distributing wealth fairly? Manchester2,
Are you admitting that American capitalism is incapable of distributing wealth fairly?

]]> By: pacatrue http://themoderatevoice.com/23620/sharing-wealth/comment-page-1/#comment-159722 pacatrue Mon, 20 Oct 2008 04:49:38 +0000 http://themoderatevoice.com/at-tmv/blogroll/23620/sharing-wealth/#comment-159722 This phrase "sharing the wealth" is being interpreted (quite naturally) in terms of what people already think. Manchester (I am guessing) thinks many Democrats are inclined to a style of socialism in which we take money from people who do well and give it to people who aren't doing well. Typically, this belief is tied to various ideas of moral worth of the people involved. This is so obvious that Manchester tosses off that every thinking American knows this is socialism.<br><br>Of course, there is another interpretation of the phrase "sharing the wealth" as well, which is this: We have a government to fund and someone has to pay for it. There are many people (95% in fact under Obama's plan) who are not doing well. In order for us to get government a little bit more off most Americans' backs, someone else has to pick up the tab so that the government doesn't go under financially. Now that government is a little bit more out of the way in the form of less taxes, the people who haven't already made it will have a slightly easier time of it.<br><br>This too is "sharing the wealth" but it's sharing the wealth by letting the little guy have an easier time of creating some wealth. Far less "socialist" under this idea. And it just happens to match the actual Obama's proposals a good bit more.<br><br>However, critically, we don't have to wonder what Obama secretly means by "sharing the wealth" and divine it's deep implications. The actual plans are already on the table and they are much more concrete. People can just read them and decide if they think raising taxes on a minority of wealthy people in order to finance a tax cut for the majority is a good idea or not. Much simpler actually. This phrase “sharing the wealth” is being interpreted (quite naturally) in terms of what people already think. Manchester (I am guessing) thinks many Democrats are inclined to a style of socialism in which we take money from people who do well and give it to people who aren't doing well. Typically, this belief is tied to various ideas of moral worth of the people involved. This is so obvious that Manchester tosses off that every thinking American knows this is socialism.

Of course, there is another interpretation of the phrase “sharing the wealth” as well, which is this: We have a government to fund and someone has to pay for it. There are many people (95% in fact under Obama's plan) who are not doing well. In order for us to get government a little bit more off most Americans' backs, someone else has to pick up the tab so that the government doesn't go under financially. Now that government is a little bit more out of the way in the form of less taxes, the people who haven't already made it will have a slightly easier time of it.

This too is “sharing the wealth” but it's sharing the wealth by letting the little guy have an easier time of creating some wealth. Far less “socialist” under this idea. And it just happens to match the actual Obama's proposals a good bit more.

However, critically, we don't have to wonder what Obama secretly means by “sharing the wealth” and divine it's deep implications. The actual plans are already on the table and they are much more concrete. People can just read them and decide if they think raising taxes on a minority of wealthy people in order to finance a tax cut for the majority is a good idea or not. Much simpler actually.

]]> By: JSpencer http://themoderatevoice.com/23620/sharing-wealth/comment-page-1/#comment-159712 JSpencer Mon, 20 Oct 2008 04:10:36 +0000 http://themoderatevoice.com/at-tmv/blogroll/23620/sharing-wealth/#comment-159712 Yeah, I suppose the suggestion that America is for ALL Americans is pretty socialistic. MIght be better if we adopt that loopy MN rep's idea of a country divided into pro-Americans and anti-Americans eh? I think these are the same people who complain about talk of class-warfare, when in fact they DO prefer a class system, albeit a more quietly accepting one. Yeah, I suppose the suggestion that America is for ALL Americans is pretty socialistic. MIght be better if we adopt that loopy MN rep's idea of a country divided into pro-Americans and anti-Americans eh? I think these are the same people who complain about talk of class-warfare, when in fact they DO prefer a class system, albeit a more quietly accepting one.

]]> By: Manchester2 http://themoderatevoice.com/23620/sharing-wealth/comment-page-1/#comment-159710 Manchester2 Mon, 20 Oct 2008 03:45:35 +0000 http://themoderatevoice.com/at-tmv/blogroll/23620/sharing-wealth/#comment-159710 Playing defense, eh? The socialist implications of Sen. Obama's comment are obvious to thinking Americans. The "Joe the Plumber" example from McCain makes this concrete for many, and no amount of the media quibbling about details can undue the impact of the illustration. When you have 100 trucks show up on your lawn, that makes the average American feel sorry for the guy, nothing else, and wonder what kind of a truth elicits that kind of frantic spinning by the opposition. Playing defense, eh? The socialist implications of Sen. Obama's comment are obvious to thinking Americans. The “Joe the Plumber” example from McCain makes this concrete for many, and no amount of the media quibbling about details can undue the impact of the illustration. When you have 100 trucks show up on your lawn, that makes the average American feel sorry for the guy, nothing else, and wonder what kind of a truth elicits that kind of frantic spinning by the opposition.

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