Talk-the-talk but not walk-the-walk

I fail to understand hypocritical politicians.  (Not really)

Ever since water was wet, some politicians have engaged in the class warfare battle.  And President Obama has been the 4-star general of this perennial campaign.  He has publicly lamented the fact that Warren Buffet paid a lower effective tax rate than did Buffet’s secretary.  Well guess what: so did Obama.  See NY Times story here.

 And to rectify this great travesty the talk-the-talk and walk-the-walk Obama voluntarily paid more in federal income tax than required.  These actions by President Obama prove he truly believes that folks like him should pay more.

The only problem with this story is it didn’t happen.  Like any normal, rationally-behaving human, Obama did not voluntarily offer more of his (taxpayer funded) income to Uncle Sam.  In doing so, Obama spurned a perfect opportunity to back up his true belief that the ‘rich’ should pay more in taxes. 

 

Why?  Imagine the favorable press he would have received had he written a $25,000 check to the US Treasury.  He squandered a chance to pay a higher effective tax rate than his secretary and, more importantly, start a movement – a voluntary movement for all those like Obama who are ‘rich’ to contribute more to taxes than they’re required.  But this isn’t what the class warfare types desire.

 

Instead of leading the troops and persuading the ‘rich’ to volunteer more fruits of their labor to the State, he instead prefers to coerce them to do so using the American legal system.  You see, the sole purpose of government is to force folks to do what they ordinarily wouldn’t do.  Folks like Obama (and I use Obama because he’s the most visible and vocal) prefer state coercion over voluntary arrangements.  And this preference is antithetical to the notion of liberty and freedom.

I hope and pray that more people will realize that government power is a thing to be used sparingly less we all become nothing more than wards of the all-powerful state.