Last Tuesday, Herald Square was on temporary lockdown. The NYPD, secret service, unmarked vehicles, and police barricades decorated several blocks.
That evening, I had the privilege of attending Obama for America’s fall gala dinner at Gotham Hall, where Alicia Keys filled the air with her powerful voice as her fingers danced across the piano, and Mayor Cory Booker engaged us with updates on Newark’s progress and his achievements – of course, in his usual comical way. After an amazing dinner, the First Lady eloquently introduced the man of the hour – within a few seconds President Obama made his appearance.
He walked into a cloud of roaring applause and streams of camera flashes. As the noise started to die down, Obama began to confidently lay out his jobs plan. With passion he proclaimed, “Warren Buffett‘s secretary shouldn’t pay a higher tax rate than Warren Buffett. There is no justification for it!” In a room full of wealthy donors, this statement aroused a standing ovation. “I’m a warrior for the middle class. I’m happy to fight for working Americans,” declared Obama to his high profiled guests.
President Obama continuously fired back at Republicans who have labeled his jobs plan as simply another way to try to tax the wealthy, thereby erroneously calling it “class warfare.” In reality, this is not class warfare; it boils down to remedial math. Both parties are aware that we need to trim the deficit by $4 trillion. So, how can this be accomplished? Well, by a simple give and take. If we do not tax the wealthy, we may need to cut Medicare spending for seniors. If we do not correct the loopholes in our tax codes, we may then be forced to cut spending on education.
But, why shouldn’t the wealthy pay their fair share in taxes? Is there any logical explanation for this?
Elizabeth Warren said it best; “there is nobody in this country who got rich on his own. Nobody.” I think we need to remind the wealthy that they did not accumulate their wealth all on their own. The federal and state governments provided a stable enough environment, laws, protection, labor, government programs, funding, etc. so it would be conducive for corporations to create, build, and progress.
Unfortunately, this has turned into greed and the majority of Americans have been left behind.
