12 April 2012

THE BUFFETT RULE

Dear Mr. President,

For those who know me, this will come as a great surprise. I am whole-heartedly in favor of the principle that has come to be known as "the Buffett rule." It’s named for Warren Buffett, a billionaire investor who often wondered why he pays a much, much lower effective tax rate than his secretary, despite his massive wealth compared to her modest income.

I usually listen to the daily White House press briefing which is carried on Sirius/XM radio on the POTUS channel, Channel 124. Today, the press secretary, Jay Carney, repeatedly informed the press that the President agrees with Mr. Buffett.

So do I. According to Carney,billionaires pay an effective tax rate of 15 per cent, while the middle class pays a significantly greater effective tax rate. He talks about "fair share" tax policy, and I am all in favor of fairness.

So here it is, Mr. President. This rock-ribbed Republican agrees with you in principle. You should propose to Congress that all Americans ought to pay an effective tax rate of 15 percent.

Oh, your puppet on a string, Lyin' Harry Reid, will moan and groan, and Whinin' Nancy Pelosi will be apoplectic, but who cares. Ya see, Timmy, most Americans know that they need to consider their income and then spend accordingly. Only government can decide how much it wants to spend and then take from the people accordingly. The politicians love to spend other people's money. The people think they can spend it better themselves.

So, if you take my suggestion, I'll bet the House will go along with the proposal in a heartbeat, offering you bipartisan support. And I'll bet you'll be reelected in a landslide.

See you in November.

Your friend,

Mac