Saturday, June 14, 2008

The New Kind Of (Corrupt) O'Politics

This makes no sense. If it is unfair for someone making $100,000 to pay Social Security taxes on all of his income while "billionaires" likewise pay only on their first $100,000 of income, then why isn't unfair for the $100,000 guy to pay taxes on his whole income, while the $200,000 earner pays Social Security taxes only on the first half?

The answer, of course, lies in politics rather than logic. There are relatively few voters who earn more than $250,000, while there are a great many earning between $102,000 and $250,000. In fact, this income demographic corresponds with remarkable precision to Obama's core supporters, the only Americans to be singled out for a tax preference under Obama's plan. A "new kind of politics," indeed.

Are private accounts a good idea? Of course they are. Obama is planning for his own retirement through his 401(k) plan
But it is incoherent and dishonest, even by Obama's standards, to denounce private accounts in one breath and propose them in the next.