The rich will do anything for the poor but get off their backs
Karl Marx
Why would a very successful business person give up his/her lucrative job to serve in government?
There are several answers. The first one is public service.
These affluent entrepreneurs simply want to give back to the nation which afforded them the opportunity to amass a great fortune.
For those who are more cynical, there is another explanation, namely, the fact that their service might lead to even greater wealth accumulation.
In order to determine which of the above is closer to the truth (maybe it’s a combination of both) we need to turn to the Guardian which used as its source the Center for American Progress. CAP is a respected Washington think tank.
The soon-to-be new tax law changes several business rules. These will further enrich the president to the tune of $11-14 million dollars and his son-in-law Jared Kushner $5-12 million.
Poor Betsy DeVos only benefits by $2.7 million.
There are significant changes in the estate tax and here’s how they affect Trump’s appointments.
Trump himself, $3.5 million, Commerce Secretary Wilbur, head of the Small Business Administration Linda McMahon, Betsy DeVos, Education Secretary, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson each benefit to the tune of 4.5 million. According to Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the so-called tax “reform” bill saves corporations and billionaires a grand total of 1.4 trillion (with a “t”.)
It would be unfair to say that this tax legislation was the primary reason these individuals came on board with Trump, but it would be naive not to connect the dots.
While it was Karl Marx who stated that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, he was not the first to point this out. This truth goes back to the Bible where it states in the Gospel of Matthew:
For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and
he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath
not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
The language of the new tax bill is quite similar in if we leave out a few “haths” and “whosoevers.” The intent of the law is clear. Throw a bone to the middle class and a sirloin steak to the millionaires. Allow the advantages for the rich to remain in perpetuity, but time limit benefits for all others. In short, what we have here is a “giveaway,” a redistribution of wealth from the poorest among us to those who need it not.
In days gone by, there was a popular expression “Comes the Revolution.” Now is the time!
Dr. Hal Sobel
Great Neck
