The author spends a majority of the article discussing various right wing rebuttals to this line of rhetoric with varying degrees of success. From charitable giving to just writing a check to the government, King tries to convey how that's not good enough and that raising his (and other one-percenters') taxes is the only solution.
The author does commend charitable giving, noting his own philanthropy and even giving the Koch brothers (of whom King is not a fan) credit in saying that they give large sums of money to different organizations. King counters by saying that there are things that charities can't pay for. For the record, there are environment based non-profits and charities that fight pollution/climate change, and there are plenty of healthcare based organizations out there as well; but King is right in saying that charity won't pay down the debt, fix infrastructure, improve public schools, or lower gas prices (though I'd be happy to see them just round the bloody thing up to the next cent.)
You'd think that writing a check to the government would address that concern, but King argues otherwise. To him, that's un-American and that true patriotism is paying higher taxes. You'd think that giving the money willingly would be seen as more patriotic than having it forcibly taken, but there you go.
Another right wing talking point that King attacks is the "cutting taxes for the rich creates jobs" line. The author notes that he owns two radio stations that employ about 60 people total. If he were to invest and create a handful more jobs, King argues that it wouldn't do anything for the economy. It may seem like small potatoes in the national economy, but King doesn't point out the potential snowballing effect when said employees pay taxes or spend the money to generate sales tax and corporate tax revenue that would pay for the things that the author wants to fund. Then again, you could argue that that would be another example of the rich passing the buck (ha, get it?) down to the working class.
The author does commend charitable giving, noting his own philanthropy and even giving the Koch brothers (of whom King is not a fan) credit in saying that they give large sums of money to different organizations. King counters by saying that there are things that charities can't pay for. For the record, there are environment based non-profits and charities that fight pollution/climate change, and there are plenty of healthcare based organizations out there as well; but King is right in saying that charity won't pay down the debt, fix infrastructure, improve public schools, or lower gas prices (though I'd be happy to see them just round the bloody thing up to the next cent.)
You'd think that writing a check to the government would address that concern, but King argues otherwise. To him, that's un-American and that true patriotism is paying higher taxes. You'd think that giving the money willingly would be seen as more patriotic than having it forcibly taken, but there you go.
Another right wing talking point that King attacks is the "cutting taxes for the rich creates jobs" line. The author notes that he owns two radio stations that employ about 60 people total. If he were to invest and create a handful more jobs, King argues that it wouldn't do anything for the economy. It may seem like small potatoes in the national economy, but King doesn't point out the potential snowballing effect when said employees pay taxes or spend the money to generate sales tax and corporate tax revenue that would pay for the things that the author wants to fund. Then again, you could argue that that would be another example of the rich passing the buck (ha, get it?) down to the working class.
You could ping pong arguments back and forth all day. Ultimately, though, King's argument boils down to one of fairness. The old adage that a multi-millionaire pays a lower income tax percentage than his/her secretary just shouldn't be the case, no matter how you slice it.
Could one rebut that by suggesting lowering the tax rates of middle class workers? Possibly, but alas it never really comes up in any capacity. King himself doesn't bring it up nor did Mitt Romney when he was asked about the rate disparity. Said rate cuts also don't address the aforementioned expenses for which King wants to pay.
Long story short, Stephen King supports a flat tax.
Could one rebut that by suggesting lowering the tax rates of middle class workers? Possibly, but alas it never really comes up in any capacity. King himself doesn't bring it up nor did Mitt Romney when he was asked about the rate disparity. Said rate cuts also don't address the aforementioned expenses for which King wants to pay.
Long story short, Stephen King supports a flat tax.
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