By Chuck Warren
Actor and want-to-be Institute of Labor Economics economist, Mark Ruffalo shared on Twitter today an article in DailyKos.com “What Happens When You Tax Billionaires at 90 Percent?”
His Tweet quoted from the article, “When you tax billionaires at 90 percent, they’re still fabulously rich and you have the resources to rebuild a healthy and happy middle class across the nation.”
Let’s me first find some common ground with Mr. Ruffalo:
First, America needs a healthy middle class. Anyone disagree?
Second, yes, taxes on billionaire incomes (not assets) should be reviewed, but 90%? Anyone disagree besides billionaire trust fund kids in Manhattan?
There never has been nor will there every be enough tax dollars to fulfill every Hollywood liberal’s wish list. As Mike Kole (@kolemichael) pointed out to Mark, “Let’s assume you can take 90% of the billionaires’ total wealth away. That would be about $3 trillion that go to pay down the debt. As a country, we still have $30 trillion [in national debt].”
Folks, as of May 2022, the United States has spent about $25 trillion on the War of Poverty since 1964. How would you rate our return on investment with that long-term project?
What would a new $3 trillion do to rectify poverty and middle-class woes?
Do you know who finances the movies Mr. Ruffalo stars in? It comes from a variety of sources, including studios (who invests in them?), distributors, production houses and private investors. I bet some of the latter are billionaires.
Regarding our low-income and middle-income brother and sisters, liberals never want to talk about the inconvenient facts that hamper progression of American families. Things like marriage, not having children out of wedlock, et cetera have a significant role in developing a healthy and prosperous middle class. For example, Married couples are four times as wealthy as unmarried couples who live together. You can guess the advantage of a married couple over a single mom or dad? Mark Ruffalo has been married for over two decades with three kids. I bet he is a fantastic father who like all married couples has had ups and downs but has made it work.
Why do liberals and the media allies continue to discount and not promote these tried and tested issues? Is it because it doesn’t make their progressive special interest groups happy? The same people forcing a lifestyle of less than 1% of our country down our throats.
Mark Ruffalo is a proud liberal, who feels very comfortable sharing his liberal orthodoxy. We live in a free country and even though I disagree with him on probably 90% of the issues his espouses, I will still go see his movies. He is a dang good actor (watch Spotlight when you have time).
It is time for millionaire liberals to stop discussing taxing other people more and just pay up themselves. Talk is cheap. As Dwight Moody said, “A good example is far better than a good precept.”
So, Mr. Ruffalo and your tax increase allies, go to Pay.gov and you can contribute 90% of your income to the United States government. You can write a check or money order, payable to the United States Treasury, and in “the memo” section notate that it’s a gift to the United States. Mail your check or money order to the address at www.fiscal.treasury.gov.
Mark Ruffalo net worth is supposedly $35 million, but probably higher. So, he should contribute $31,500,000 and provide a copy of the cash money order or check on Twitter. His example may inspire a person or two.
Note: the opinions expressed herein are those of Chuck Warren only and not his co-host Sam Stone or Breaking Battlegrounds’ staff.