The Gospel Truth @preachersdemonpie: August 2012

Fire & Brimstone Sunday Sermon:

August 26, 2012

Fire. Brimstone. Over the next four days, you will hear plenty of it coming out of Florida. But, what you won’t hear about is how over the past four years the Republican led Congress purposely sabotaged our country’s potential recovery, just so their party could have a chance at power in 2012. What you also won’t hear about are details of how they plan to turn the country around, because basically, their solution is a return to the “trickle-down-tax-no-wealth-no-regulation” tactics that drove us to the point where our economy failed and our government can’t function, except for the benefit of the ultra rich. Why? Well, let’s think about why.

By this time tomorrow, down in the hurricane threatened city of Tampa, Florida, the Republican Party will hold their convention, and they will spend millions of dollars to re-launch the Presidential campaign of Mitt Romney, one of this country’s wealthiest citizens. Withstanding the irony of this event might even be tolerable, if it weren’t for the fact that it seems that even his “own people” really don’t care for his candidacy. His “own people” will tell you that Romney seems like a decent enough guy on the surface, but underneath he lacks an obvious soul, and his passion hardly matches the zeal of a party that is now controlled by Tea Party dogmatists and Social Conservative nutcases. In other words, he’s not even a man of his “own people.” On the other hand, maybe that’s a positive point in Romney’s favor, considering the vast array of Republicans who seem more concerned with regulating people’s social conduct (from who we sleep with to how we will procreate), arming everyone with automatic weapons, to the basic unabashed hatred that so many of the people in the party foment against the larger part of humanity that isn’t white, male, Christian, and still believing in Manifest Destiny.

Seen in light of his contemporaries, Mitt Romney might seem tolerable, if it weren’t for the fact that this past week alone I have born witness to countless TV documentaries and commercials about Mitt Romney and/or his personal religious faith, The Church of the Latter Day Saints, the Mormons. As I watched and contemplated Mitt Romney, I came to the conclusion that Mitt doesn’t even seem to fit into his own faith, as the Mormons I saw all appeared to be passion filled people whose appearance of “soul” was obvious. I suppose it’s possible that what I saw on TV was a fabrication, but regardless, I couldn’t help but wonder if Mr. Romney’s “sacred garments” (his coveted Mormon undies) might well have worn thin from years of sitting high atop Yertle the Turtle’s throne. Maybe it’s the thin air that has thinned his underwear, or maybe he’s gone too many years seeing his dominion from a vantage point that fails to include “real everyday people.” Regardless, what I saw in the people of his faith was an understanding that they were part of the greater human race, and though I still feel that Mormanism is more cult than religion, at least the religion’s adherents seemed to understand that in order to survive and thrive, people need to work together. This is exactly what Mitt Romney fails to understand, as his lack of passion, soul, and compassion for others can be seen in how he covets his tax returns.

I can’t speak for everyone, and I certainly don’t speak for Mitt Romney, but it seems to me that when a private citizen decides to run for "public" office, his/her private affairs are no longer private. If you want to represent others in government, you know or soon learn that your private life is over. Mitt Romney has been in public life long enough to know that his taxes are fair game, but he’s refused to disclose them, and in the end, if he sticks with this decision, it will be his downfall.

That said, I doubt we will find anything illegal in Romney's past tax returns. What we will likely find is even more evidence of working the tax system in a way that 99% of us can't. The reality is we know enough already from the tax returns Romney did release to know that he doesn't share the same % tax burden as the rest of us. So then it becomes a question of “where do you stand on this lack of tax equity?” Personally, I believe those who have benefited the most from our system of government ought to have a greater burden, not less, and at minimum, at least equal the burden.

This argument doesn't even include the billions of dollars the wealthiest in our country, like Romney, are able to stash away in offshore tax free accounts. Hey, if you're a private citizen, and it's legal, that's your business, but know that your tax free wealth is NOT helping your country. Know that your great wealth is doing NOTHING for your fellow citizens. Know that most of your fellow citizens believe that if you care about your country, and if you're a private citizen who wants to lead our country in its highest elected office, you might want to make sure that your personal wealth has made it back home to be taxed.

You see, people like me WILL think that people like Romney somehow think they have special privileges (which they do) and fewer responsibilities (which they do) than the rest of us. People like me will think that people like Romney want to get into office so they can continue to work the system in a way that benefits the 1%. That's it folks! That's why Romney doesn't want to release more of his taxes. It will add fuel to the fire that has already convinced many independent voters, like me, to say, "Forget it Mitt, you should have paid your taxes. You should have put a fair % of your wealth and taxes back into the country you say you care so much about. You should have put your money where your mouth is. You won't get my vote."

Now maybe I seem a little tough, as we all get a bit tightfisted at tax time. I agree, no one should pay more in taxes than required by law. Unfortunately, the tax code works to ensure that the wealthiest Americans pay far less of a percentage of personal income and wealth than the rest of us. Romney prefers this kind of dis-equity. I don't. It's only a "conservative value" if you happen to be like Romney. If the man cared a lick about the millions of people whose votes he wants so dearly, he should be rallying against this kind of disequity.

Does this make me some kind class warfarist? Nothing could be further from the truth. Great wealth can be a very good thing. We should want people to become as wealthy as they can legally get. Think about this fact alone: The wealthy top 1% as a group have always paid a larger percent of tax dollars collected by all individuals. This means that 99% of our country’s tax payers depend on ultra-wealthy individuals to pay their equal share of taxes. Here’s the problem: Because the top 1% don't pay as high a % of their "individual income/wealth" as individuals in the rest of the 99%, this puts an excessive burden on the rest of us to make up the difference. This % disequity might even seem fine to some mathamatically illiterate citizens, but the facts tell us this, if you want a functioning government, everyone must pay their “fair” and equal share. The people this hurts the most are those in the uppermiddle class (the next 20%), who carry a tax burden without the tax loopholes, forcing them to carry most of the tax burden the 1% refuse to carry.

Here’s the catch. A 5 to 10 percentage point tax increase for extremely wealthy individuals will not effect their ability to interact within the economy. It’s a fact that they already pay 37% of total collected income tax, but imagine how much better the economy and government would function if they were to pay at the same individual income/wealth percentage rate as you or me? If they don’t pay, then who pays? We, the middle class pay the difference. We (the middle class) either pay up, or we pay less and expect far less from our government, and that includes massive, drastic cuts to the military. So yes, demanding that the ultra wealthy pay their fair % of individual taxes would mean that the top 1% would likely be paying at or slightly above 50% of all collected taxes.

The demand that our current President, Barrack Obama, is making -- that the ultra wealthy kick in at least an equal % share as individuals – is not only reasonable, it’s the only way we’ll ever get this country back on its feet. The current tax rates for the upper middle to the lower middle is already drastically effecting our economy, and a 5 to 10% hike for the middle would spell disaster. Why? You see, high tax rates for the middle class effects their ability to purchase goods and services, which explains the cycle we're currently mired in. When people buy, people have jobs. When people don't buy, people are unemployed. The wealthy don't create jobs, folks. You and I create jobs when we purchase goods and services. Yes, this means that the top 1% would be paying a much larger % of overall tax dollars collected, if their tax burden were increased, but the fact is, they can afford it. You and I can't.

We all know plenty about how the bills are overdue. We see it in our government’s massive debt to the insane credit based economy of the middle class. This is why middle class conservatives should be demanding that the ultra wealthy carry a larger share of the burden. With where our economy is right now, the burden for the ultra wealthy ought to be at minimum 5 to 10% above the upper middle classes' current rate. If the ultra wealthy who control this whole shebang really gave a damn about this country, they would demand that our government immediately reduce the the middle class burden by 10% while raising the ultra wealthy's burden by 20% until the economy recovered. Talk about jump starting the economy! The government’s budget could be balanced, the debt paid. Individuals could recover from the hit we took back in 08'. The health care and Social Security debates could stabilize and be argued rationally. The military could continue to do the work of protecting our interests. Demand for goods and services would increase. People go back to work, and the people who get back to work can now pay taxes, etc., etc. Sensible talk and action like this from the GOP would convince me that they aren't tools to the top 1% who only hurt themselves with their appearance of great wealth, as they lose out on the opportunity to gain even more wealth when the economy is humming. Vote for the guy who agrees with a tax table that makes me and our country poorer while Romney and his amazing 1% club (and a few other assorted apparatchiks) continue to get richer? Really? It would be like voting for the Godfather and the mob.

You see, if you want to represent others in government, you know or soon learn that your private life is over. You also prepare and live your life in a way that shows you comprehend how your constituents actually live. Mitt Romney is and has done everything he can to keep his potential voters at a distance, and now it’s too late. But, that’s got to be hard far a guy whose lifelong view of the rest of us is shrouded by the silver spoon of his birth. I’d feel sorry for the guy, if he could muster up the courage to admit that he has a lot to learn about “real people.” I might even admire him, should his economic plan include greater tax “responsibility” for the ultra rich. I might even vote for him, if his economic plan included a ten year 20% increase in taxes for the top 1%, and a 10% tax reduction for the 99%. I would then believe he actually gave a damn about the rest of us.

Because ultimately, the question isn’t whether we want the country to turn around. All of us want our country’s economy to turn around. All of us want our government to function effectively. The question becomes, how do you want our country to turn around? Do you want a country that’s “inclusive,” or do you want a country that is “exclusive?” It’s your choice this year. Just remember, if we choose the “exclusive” route, 99% of us will not be members of the exclusive class, 20% of us will be made to feel like they are as they fail to shoulder the 1%’s tax write-offs, 50% will likely default on the American Dream (go bankrupt), and 30% of us will continue to be mired in an economy that offers no hope for an American Dream: All of this because a few ultra wealthy individuals refused to share the tax burden.

Pick your team:

Republicans – Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan – “exclusive” – American Dream defaults

Democrats – Barrack Obama and Joe Biden – “inclusive “ – American Dream continues