Rich People, Stop Whining and Dig Deeper

Two high-profile attacks on President Obama's plan to raise taxes on those making more than $250,000 are mostly bunk, writes Michael Kinsley. Both were written by rich professors, and the first is simply a "self-righteous screed" by someone whining about the hardships he'll face—such as having to fire his immigrant lawn-mower. He should have filed this beaut away privately instead of posting it, writes Kinsley at Politico. No matter where we draw the line at "rich," people just above that line will always object.

The second, by former George W. Bush adviser Greg Mankiw, argues that the tax will hit him so hard that he—and others—will have less incentive to work. Mankiw simply needs a "new accountant," writes Kinsley after dismantling his hypothetical example. The nation is spending way more than it's taking in, and we're going to have to correct the problem eventually, writes Kinsley. "If people making more than $250,000 a year can’t be asked to dig a little deeper, who can?"
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