Letter: We need a plan to ‘eat the rich’
FILE - In this Jan. 19, 2019, file photo, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, (D-New York) waves to the crowd after speaking at Women's Unity Rally in Lower Manhattan in New York. Democrats including Ocasio-Cortez of New York and veteran Sen. Ed Markey of Mass. are calling for a Green New Deal intended to transform the U.S. economy to combat climate change and create jobs in renewable energy. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)
More and ever-louder voices call for a 70 percent tax rate on our nation’s most wealthy citizens, but first we need a plan.
As this “eat the rich” scheme has been tried many times before in other countries, causing the wealthy to simply move offshore to some tax-friendly place, a surefire plan is required, and here are a few ideas.
First we have to catch the target billionaire, maybe a fishing net or a mouse trap might do the trick. Secure the billionaire’s feet in tub of cement so they can’t escape to another country. Ask Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to author five-step indoctrination lessons explaining why we are entitled to steal from our most hardworking, productive folk. Ask God to rescind pesky 10th commandment which makes coveting our neighbor’s stuff a sin.Extinguish all Pareto-distribution references in libraries, dictionaries and digital sources. Live happily ever after because, Ocasio-Cortez reminds us, even if all American billionaires leave, there will always remain a top 1 percent regardless, even if the top 1 percent wealth metric tumbles down all the way to folks like you and me, because everyone else was chased away. Sherman Stephenson, St. George
Submit a letter to the editor
Donate to the newsroom now. The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are tax deductible