Ben Stein: “Tax the Rich”

by David Safier

(TASL) Maybe his next Comedy Central Show should be called, “Tax Ben Stein’s Money (if he’s rich enough).”

I may be the only liberal in the world who reads Ben Stein’s column in the Sunday New York Times Business section. But I do it because the man is a conservative with a heart, and a conscience, and sometimes he surprises me.

This Sunday was one of those times. He wrote a column that said we should . . . get ready . . . Tax The Rich!

Be still, my heart!

Stein, who you probably know from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Comedy Central’s “Win Ben Stein’s Money” and the Murine Clear Eyes commercials, is a lawyer and an economist with something like seven books to his name. He’s a smart guy. And a Republican. Maybe talking with all those Limousine Liberals in Hollywood (as the Republicans never tire of calling them) made him aware of the huge gap between the rich and the poor in this country. I mean, look, Arianna Huffington was an arch conservative until she started debating Al Franken on TV.

In Sunday’s column, Stein said cutting taxes won’t bring more money into the government’s coffers, and we need more money to support programs like Social Security and Medicare (I wish he'd mentioned education too, but you can't have everything). So we need to increase taxes.

But whom to tax? The poor are, well, poor. The middle class is struggling to pay for its middle-class life. That leaves the rich. It would be lovely if we did not have to tax them. Many have worked hard for their money. Many have created useful businesses. Many of them are fine people.

But as Willie Sutton said when asked why he robbed banks, “Because that’s where the money is.” By definition, the truly rich have a lot more money than they need. If they don’t, then they are not rich by my standards. The first step toward putting our house in order, once we are past the seemingly looming recession, is much higher taxes on the truly rich and serious enforcement to prevent offshore tax evasion.

But wait. He’s not through:

To put it even more starkly, the government — which is us — needs the money to keep old people alive, to pay for their dialysis, to build fighter jets and to pay our troops and pay interest on the debt. We can get it by indenturing our children, selling ourselves into peonage to foreigners, making ourselves a colony again, generating inflation — or we can have some integrity and levy taxes equal to what we spend.

Ben Stein, you’re this Tax-and-Spend Liberal’s new best friend.

Comments

[Mercurious]

Hate to put a damper on your new found friendship but if I recall didn't Stein also say to invest heavily into the subprime mortgage industry? Said it was undervalued. He stick to economics though because he's setting himself up as an enemy of science.

http://www.expelledthemovie.com/

He should stick to wall street and stay far away from the IDiots. He's making himself look like a creo sock puppet. Not bad for a Jew.

[David Safier]

This is exactly why I read Ben Stein's column in the NY Times Business section. I know he's my polar opposite on most issues, but he has this funny soft spot. If you read some of his other posts in this vein, you'll see he realizes he's very lucky. If I remember correctly, his father was well positioned, he was mentored by a very connected college prof, and lots of opportunities fell into his lap.

Unlike so many "successful" people who puff out their chests and claim they did it on their own, Stein gratefully acknowledges all the help he got. And he also realizes, if he grew up in a different home under less advantageous circumstances, he wouldn't be where he is today. So he says, let people who have been lucky, who have benefited from their connections and the opportunities this country affords, do what they can to help others.

That's why I read him. That's why I have respect for him, even though I think he's wacko on other issues. Once in awhile, he is willing to take off the political blinders most of us wear and arrive at a conclusion that is different from his ideology.

[Mercurious]

So basically he wrong almost all the time. But when he is right it makes national news. If Stein would keep his nose in what he "semi" knows I wouldn't have much of a problem with him. I don't really keep on economic news. But I do keep up with science news. And in the world of science Ben's name is lower that mud. This article was put out today. Another piece of slime from him.

http://www.miamiherald.com/458/story/451272.html

Here is a response from one of the major science blogs about that article.

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/03/who_votes_for_these_gomers.php

My contempt for Ben knows no bounds, he's the lowest of the low.