Goldberg has poor ideas on wealth

Re “The myth of endless wealth,” Opinion, Nov. 13

Jonah Goldberg writes: “Meanwhile, Democrats keep telling the bottom 95% of taxpayers that all of America’s problems will be solved if only the rich people would pay ‘their fair share’ of income taxes.” What a blatant straw-man canard! Exactly which Democrat has claimed “all of America’s problems will be solved” by higher tax rates on the wealthiest? Who believes that money alone will undo the bottomless disaster of foolish war-making and the associated decline of America’s moral reputation?

Once again we see a partisan putting words in the mouth of the “enemy” and then condemning those same words. Why should we believe other, possibly valid arguments from Goldberg, when he so readily posits false ones?

Peter Einstein

West Linn, Ore.

A democracy relies on the consent of the governed, not on any particular economic system. To conflate an economic ideology with a political one is a common error foisted on the rest of us by conservatives. I, for one, see the demise of the public school system and the privatization of state, county and city law enforcement and firefighting services, road construction and repair and a whole host of other public services -- resulting in those services being available only to those who can afford them -- as a disastrous outcome of Goldberg’s ideology.

Instead of celebrating individual greed, I believe we need to foster a sense of community and a sense of responsibility to all. Sharing the wealth of this great nation with all who live in it should be the value we hold most dear.

Bob Harris

Lancaster

Darn that middle class, they’re always looking for new ways to ding the wealthy. Why can’t they just be happy with their underfunded schools, crumbling infrastructure and dwindling public services?

Contrary to Goldberg’s argument, conservative rule has demonstrated that you actually can bleed the same group of people over and over again, as soldiers and reservists are sent back for numerous tours of duty, Hurricane Katrina victims are ignored and citizens are expected to pay more for fuel and healthcare to boost record profits for a select few.

Goldberg’s assertion that, through taxation, the upper class is in danger of being mugged by the middle class -- the very people whose labor generates their wealth -- is laughable. But if it were to happen, Goldberg can thank his conservative friends for showing the Democrats how to concoct exploitative policies and then push them onto one segment of society.

Tim Bradley

Pasadena

The real argument isn’t that the top 1% pay nearly 40% of federal income taxes, but how they are taxed. Wage earners can be taxed up to 35%. Capital-gains earners generally can be taxed as high as 15%. Under this formula, the individuals whose wealth works for them, by accruing interest and wealth from stocks, are rewarded by the government for being wealthy enough not to have to work. The rest are penalized for having to show up to work.

The last seven years have destroyed a government surplus, and we are borrowing at a record level that has to be repaid. How about letting those who have garnered the most from this country pay as much on their wealth, which comes to them for having wealth, as do wage earners?

Brian T. Finney

Los Angeles