Should we tax the rich?

On the Revolution of Ideas!

Should we tax the rich? The answer to this question is yes! Some might answer no, having as an argument that rich people support job creation and that it would be a mistake to raise taxes on them. Both positions are strong, and have good arguments. But in reality the only position that seems to move forward in the right direction, according to the tough economic times, is raising taxes on the rich. It's not fair that an average American is paying taxes and pitching in to get the country out from the gutter it was thrown into and the rich are getting richer with no control over them. I’m not against free enterprise, people making money, the rich buying expensive cars and spending money on items that would solve world hunger in a snap, but it’s time to come to our senses and make the rich pitch in to help the country come out from this hard economic crisis.

When you see people starve, people not having enough money to buy food, or simply witnessing how people fall into desperation because they can’t find a job, it is when you realize that we are going through tough times, and that we must stand together. It’s absurd that while someone spends two thousand dollars to rent sports cars, buy the latest fashion for 10 thousand dollars, and spend 25 thousand on a spa, there are people starving, paying taxes, and finding no solutions to their problems. 

The rich will say that they contribute enough and that they don’t have to pay more taxes, but I believe that they don’t contribute enough and that  the federal government has to take a stand and protect the middle class form disappearing. The rich must be taxed in a way that they can continue to earn big amounts of money and also contribute to the country’s recovery. The sense of selfishness and lack of team work from some millionaires is appalling and truly unacceptable. The middle class bailed many big companies out from disappearing, and now it’s time for those same companies to pay more taxes to make it a fair game. 

Some Republicans and Democrats argue that taxing the rich is wrong and that it is not necessary. I think these politicians definitely live in another country. I’m sure their voters are very rich for them to say this. I can’t believe an average American is going to sit at home happy while his congress man thinks taxing the rich is wrong. One question comes to mind, are these politicians really thinking that the average Joe will elect them again? Because it’s not the rich who vote, maybe their pocket books help them get elected, but in the end it's main stream America who elects their leaders and not the rich. It’s time to take a stand and stop pointing fingers at who is to blame; it’s time for real leadership. 

The idea of taxing the rich is something reasonable, and should be done. I don’t agree with any socialist idea, or nor am I against the rich, totally the opposite. I believe that we should make taxes more equal, even for everyone, because making things too easy for the rich opens a door for  a huge gap between the poor and the rich, which is an idea only seen in developing countries, and not in America. If we continue to believe that taxing the rich is the wrong way to go, we will become exactly as a third world country in which the gap between the rich and the poor is too deep. America can’t continue to fall behind, and taxing the rich is necessary to push America forward. It is important that Congress acknowledges this, and realizes that this is not being suggested for President Obama’s sake; it’s being suggested for the country’s sake and congress must act now, with responsibility and rapidness.

The question may have two answers, but the final answer and real answer is yes! We need to tax the rich in a way that we can move forward. It is important not to affect private interests, but it is also important not to destroy the middle class. Generating a balance between classes and getting the funds to push America out of the hole in which it fell in is essential.

Cristhian Mancera Mejía

Director

La Tribunacolus