A Few Random Thoughts on Why Rich People Don't Want to Pay Taxes

The latest manufactured crisis/phony/fake melodrama concocted for our distraction is the 'debate' over the debt limit. This phony crisis also has invoked the wrath of the religious right, (i.e. those people who worship manna/money), who chant with the zeal of religious extremists that the wealthiest people in our country should not pay taxes.
This has me thinking, why? When I learned civics in school we were told that taxes are what civilized societies pay to be, well, civilized. Taxes pay for schools, roads, bridges, waste treatment plants, libraries, parks and for our communal defense. Individually, we can't afford these things. Communally, through paying taxes, we can. So why are rich people opposed to paying taxes?
Some reasons may be:
#1 Rich people, through most of history, have never paid taxes.
True. Think of the Dark Ages with the lord sitting in his castle and peasants working the fields. Who paid taxes? Yes, it was the peasants. The lord of the manor owned everything of value, including any woman about to be married (I'm not making this up, in England, the lord could sleep with a bride on her wedding night before the groom could).
In ancient societies, where 98 percent of the people were slaves, did the rich pay taxes? No. Rich people don't think they should EVER have to pay taxes.
#2 Rich people are not human.
I have seen little evidence that rich people are anything other than cold-blooded, ruthless predators that lack compassion and remorse. We are said to have a brain that is part mammal, part reptile. The reptile part is older. Rich people, in my view, are descendants of an earlier humanoid race that is mostly, if not totally, reptilian.
#3 Rich people do not believe in God.
The greatest evidence that God does not exist is that rich people throughout history have behaved as if there is no God.
#4 Rich people think they are gods.
The reason for number #3. Most of the writing of what Protestants call the Old Testament is about rich people who have deluded themselves into believing they are gods. Monotheism is an idea promulgated by a pharaoh in Egypt to consolidate his power and reduce the power of the priesthood that was opposed to him. The Christian version of monotheism (later modified by Islam) was initiated by a Roman emperor who wanted to consolidate his power by merging many religions that existed in the Roman Empire into one.
The gist of this is that rich people, whether they are monarchs or Murdochs, believe that they are gods that are entitled to all the wealth and benefits they receive.
#5 Rich people think most of us are bloody peasants.
Monty Python spoofs this concept savagely in their film 'The Holy Grail,' where King Arthur acts like a horse's ass throughout the film, especially toward people that don't recognize his authority.
#6 The prosperous American middle class of the 1950's and 60's was an anomaly.
This is the most difficult part to understand for those of us born in that period. The America we grew up in did not exist before the 1940s and hasn't existed since 1980 with the election of Ronald Reagan. It ain't coming back either. We are going back to feudal times where the vast majority of us live like serfs. A prosperous middle class threatens those on the top of the pyramid. The middle class throughout history has been firmly under the control of the wealthy.
An independent, literate, educated middle class is the greatest threat to the rich. Since 1980, government policies have sought to eliminate whatever the middle class had going for it. To this regard, the rich have been very successful.
#7 Taxes benefit the poorest and most vulnerable members of society.
Rich people don't give a crap about other people. Remember when Enron executives were caught on tape laughing about how many old women would die because they would be unable to afford higher energy costs? They thought it was funny. I'm not making this stuff up!
#8 Rich people have better things to spend their money on than paying taxes.
If rich people paid more in taxes they couldn't afford that 8th Hummer, 5th mansion or all those trips to Thailand to have sex with children.
#9 Rich people are so inbred they no longer have the intellectual abilities to understand their actions are becoming increasingly mutually destructive.

It's a just a matter of time before this planet is no longer able to sustain a high level of life for most humans. Most rich people aren't intelligent enough to care about the environment. If we understand them as reptiles then it becomes apparent that a high quality of life for predominantly mammalian species is not a priority.
#10 It's only going to get worse.
This is the most depressing part. Remember Spartacus? Remember Jesus? What happened to them? Rich people crucified them. The same rich people whose descendants are running our country today. Enough said. Time to check out whether Jennifer Lopez is having an affair and Will and Kate's wedding gifts. No strike that, think I'll reread the Sermon on the Mount. Thank you, Jesus.

Tea Party Activism Exposes Myth of Good Living in the Suburbs as Seriously Flawed

Tea Party activists have a point. Property taxes are high. Especially in suburbs. There is a reason for this.

I call it the Santa Claus Myth. Conceptually, there is a big difference between the individual and the collective. In the west, we are all about the individual. At least since a period in history we label, perhaps not correctly, The Enlightenment.

Take the Santa Claus Myth. Someone in a sled driven by flying reindeer delivers presents every Christmas. On an individual level, the myth makes sense. But taken collectively, it starts to break down. At what point does the myth break down? Ten families? One hundred? One hundred thousand? A million?

When you do the logistics required for the Santa Claus Myth to work for a million families, it gets really, really absurd. Doesn't work. Not at all.

The myth of the Good Life Living in the Suburbs belongs in the same category. On an individual level, it makes sense. Taken collectively, it breaks down. Enter the Tea Party and similar movements, largely suburban based, upset over property taxes.

Here in New Jersey, property taxes in suburbs are high. There was an influx of people moving across the border to Pennsylvania where property taxes are lower.

Then collective reality hit home. No jobs in eastern Pennsylvania. Many of those who moved are still working jobs in urban New Jersey (or even New York City) and commuting 3-5 hours a day.

We live in Secaucus, five minutes from Manhattan and three minutes from Giants/Jets football stadium. Most of the town is industrial. UPS and US Mail have warehouses and distribution centers. Many large department stores have outlet stores and distribution centers. The New Jersey turnpike runs through the east part of town.

Big rigs rumble through town all day and night. At 9 a.m. in the morning the line of brown UPS trucks leaving the distribution center is a sight to behold. Why talk about this? Taxes, my friends. Taxes.

Unlike WalMart, these industries contribute to the tax base of Secaucus. The town has top notch schools and services. We put up with the noise and big rigs and traffic. The suburbs are quiet. Yes, they are. But without industry, where is the tax base?

People's homes, that's where. That's why suburban property taxes are so high. Who else is going to pay for the schools and fix the potholes? Suburban living, sold to people on an individual basis, breaks down in the collective.

My question to suburban voters is this - who is going to pay for your schools, roads, water and sewer? You live out in some rural area, probably on land once somebody's farm, and you're miles from any industry. Just like you wanted. All quiet and nice, away from all that urban noise, crime and diversity.

You can believe in Santa Claus if you want, but somebody still has to pay for all those presents. Welcome to collective reality. It's the place we need to go when our individual realities break down and don't work any more.