"He doesn't have the political will,"
said several legislative members I met with while in D.C. referring to their congressperson on the issue of tax reform. Not surprising. All our money is going overseas and we have shrinking funds for social security, education, healthcare, public infrastructure, pell grants for college, but No Body in Congress will dare to Raise Taxes on the RICH!
I was in D.C. this week, together with a delegation of concerned folks from Responsible Wealth/United for a Fair Economy, Institute for Policy Studies (my work) and Resource Generation to lobby to preserve the estate tax. The estate tax that only .3% of the US population pays. The tax that is the most progressive, most important tax we have, an anti-dynasity measure to block great fortunes of wealth, virtuous wealth, the Paris Hilton tax. Yet 18 families succeeded to shape public opinion back in 2001 by calling it the 'death tax.' That's right. The 18 richest families behind Campbells Soup, Nordstrom, Walmart, Gallo (wine), Seattle Times, among others have been scapegoating small business owners and family farmers, sending them to capital hill to cry over why the estate tax will take them down. Not true. I sat in Guiterrez' office with his Legislative Director who said that in the seven years she had been there, she had not once heard testimony from anyone who was Pro-Estate Tax. For that reason, it was important to go. Politically, it was SO educational. The Republican assembly members have certain Democrats wrapped around their fingers. Disgusting.. but not surprising, either, and it's all about which battles they will fight for their most pressing issues, the estate tax not being one of them. We from IL got to meet with Obama's Director of Public Policy and thankfully, he is sympathetic. Though what is more clear to me now than ever.. is that talking about taxes needs to be uttered in the same breath as the very issues we are fighting to protect. Otherwise - where is the revenue going to come from? We can't hate taxes; we just have to reinstate a fair and just proportionality, so that those who make more, pay more, while relieving the middle and lower income from baring most of the burden.
I was in D.C. this week, together with a delegation of concerned folks from Responsible Wealth/United for a Fair Economy, Institute for Policy Studies (my work) and Resource Generation to lobby to preserve the estate tax. The estate tax that only .3% of the US population pays. The tax that is the most progressive, most important tax we have, an anti-dynasity measure to block great fortunes of wealth, virtuous wealth, the Paris Hilton tax. Yet 18 families succeeded to shape public opinion back in 2001 by calling it the 'death tax.' That's right. The 18 richest families behind Campbells Soup, Nordstrom, Walmart, Gallo (wine), Seattle Times, among others have been scapegoating small business owners and family farmers, sending them to capital hill to cry over why the estate tax will take them down. Not true. I sat in Guiterrez' office with his Legislative Director who said that in the seven years she had been there, she had not once heard testimony from anyone who was Pro-Estate Tax. For that reason, it was important to go. Politically, it was SO educational. The Republican assembly members have certain Democrats wrapped around their fingers. Disgusting.. but not surprising, either, and it's all about which battles they will fight for their most pressing issues, the estate tax not being one of them. We from IL got to meet with Obama's Director of Public Policy and thankfully, he is sympathetic. Though what is more clear to me now than ever.. is that talking about taxes needs to be uttered in the same breath as the very issues we are fighting to protect. Otherwise - where is the revenue going to come from? We can't hate taxes; we just have to reinstate a fair and just proportionality, so that those who make more, pay more, while relieving the middle and lower income from baring most of the burden.