Much credit to Steve Paske for confronting conservative obstinateness (and blatant ongoing opportunism) regarding "big, bad taxes" - - which the wealthiest among us need not worry about, by the way, thanks to the dogged efforts of the Bush administration.
Taxes aren't that bad
By STEVE PASKE
Posted: Aug. 8, 2007
The conservative talk radio waves are buzzing.
"Democrats are trying to pass the biggest tax increase in state history," they say. "If what they have proposed passes, we'll become the highest taxed state in the nation."
In the meantime, they seem to ignore other things. Swimming pools at Milwaukee County parks lie dormant. Watertown Plank Road is so poorly maintained in front of the hospital, that it must be hell on Earth for someone arriving in an ambulance with appendicitis. Minneapolis is in the headlines for the I-35W bridge collapse, but our own inability to fund adequate inspections could easily have led to an identical story with the Hoan Bridge a few years back.
Yet some try to scare us with tired old mantras: "Once a tax goes up, it never drops."
Apparently, they've forgotten that the highest federal tax bracket was above 70% in the 1970s and now sits at 39%. They'll immediately remind you that the '70s were rife with inflation and a weak economy. They won't mention that from 1942 through 1963, the top federal bracket ranged from 88% to 94%. If I'm not mistaken, those years are known as a period of rapid economic expansion.
Another mantra: "In order to stimulate the economy, you have to lower taxes."
In 1921, the top federal tax rate was 73%, dropping to 24% by 1929. By virtue of the fact that this decade is remembered as the roaring '20s, this shows that lowering taxes stimulates economic activity. Unless of course you take into account that in 1929, in which we had the lowest top bracket tax rate in the past 80 years, we also saw the beginning of the Great Depression.
What we have here is a group of media pundits vehemently extolling the virtues of individual ambition and drive, never thinking to mention that in reality most members of society will see far more benefit if the wealth is spread.
The conservatives will argue that nobody will want to become a doctor or a lawyer or work in a profession that requires a lot of schooling if there is not reward at the end of the tunnel. Honestly, though, is anyone really not going to pursue a medical career because he or she will be taxed 50% on every dollar earned above $200,000 instead of 39%?
Conservatives will argue that potential small business owners will be less likely to risk starting a new venture because the financial rewards will be less. Never mind that an adequate system of public health service along with a failed business safety net funded by higher taxes would dramatically reduce the pain of failure.
In this world, you get what you pay for. And I know I'm going to tick a lot of people off for saying this, but I don't mind seeing my taxes go up if it coincides with improved services.
So if you're wondering why schools are failing, bridges are collapsing or police are so short staffed, don't look any further than the fact that we pay less in taxes than the people of almost any other developed nation.
True, if you're an entrepreneur in Wisconsin, the passage of these taxes will likely mean that if your business succeeds, you'll only become a billionaire instead of a kazillioinaire. But if you're tired of reading about deteriorating parks, increased crime, not enough firefighters or families going bankrupt due to medical emergencies, turn off your radio and pick up the phone to call your state legislators.
Tell them that in the interest of the community, you are willing to pay your share. Your share, my friends, is called taxes.
Steve Paske of Milwaukee is a Milwaukee Public Schools teacher and author of a new book, "Breaking Stride." His e-mail address is [email protected]
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