OPINON: Upward Mobility
Monday, October 24, 2011 at 9:29AMRonald Reagan used to say that when liberals saw a fat man standing next to a thin one, they presumed the fat man was stealing the thin man’s food.
That’s not how things actually work. Besides, in today’s America, poor people are more likely to be fat than rich ones.
The real issue is over income inequality. Some believe government should redistribute wealth by taxing the rich and giving to everyone else.
But higher taxes don’t provide jobs. The debate over making people pay their “fair share” becomes a sideshow. Especially since the top ten percent already pay 70% of the federal income tax.
Rather than taking potshots at those at the top, shouldn’t our goal be to give everyone a chance at upward mobility? Many rich people don’t stay rich, but let’s have an America where the poor don’t have to stay poor, either.
From The Heritage Foundation, I’m Ernest Istook.
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