This is my latest LTE to my local Conservative newspaper which can be seen here. The response is hot and heavy. I think I drive them crazy. Responding to the comments can be a challenge because wingnuts do not hear what you are saying and respond with Fox News talking points. I use the " I want my meat" idea by ignoring their nonsense and bring them back on point. It is fun. Below is the LTE and then the examples of what I am talking about. Remember rule #1 HAVE FUN!!!! (hat tip to Molly Ivins)
The interesting thing about Darrell Baumbach’s reply (“President Reagan helped the economy grow,” Dec. 12) to my recent letter (“We need to get back to building a stronger economy,” Dec. 10) was that he never answered my main point, which was about the ultra-rich in this country like Mr. Romney, who pays less in percentage in taxes than a minimum-wage worker.
Like most right-wing ideologues, when confronted with facts that cannot be disputed, they ignore them and go straight to their talking points. I doubt he even heard the argument. In this way, ideologues of all stripes resemble addicts. They cannot hear anything against their substance of choice.
A country’s economy produces so much income. To keep an economy going, a certain percentage of that income must go to keeping the engine in shape so it is able to keep producing income. The uber-rich, through an army of lobbyists and bought politicians, have skewered the way we pay taxes; they pay less in percentage than people who work at Walmart, and certainly the middle class which is getting hit the hardest.
Their standard canard is that if the rich pay less in taxes, they will invest more and we will be awash in jobs. We have been down this road for 33 years since Reagan. How has this worked out?
I think the cruelest and meanest talking point is that many minimum-wage workers pay no income tax and need to get some “skin” in the game. The fact that more of their money goes to the government as a percentage of other taxes than the uber-rich is lost on them.
The pope and the president have both spoken out eloquently on the problem of income inequality. The Republican Party through its lobbyists and bought politicians — with a little help from certain Democrats — has created a situation where the wealth of this nation is being funneled to the uber-rich by letting them get away with not paying their fair share of taxes needed to keep the engine of our economy going. This is politically controlled wealth distribution at its finest.
Why do we put up with it?
Jerome Kinderman posted at 6:28 am on Wed, Dec 18, 2013.
You may very well get your heart's desire, Mr. Lucas. All those ultra-rich veterans are about to get those oh-so-excessive pensions cut. Finally!! The rich paying their fair share.
Notice my friend Jerome neglected to address anything I brought up. I Replied:
Like Mr Baxter, I see you agree with the basic points of my letter. Thanks Jerome.
My favorite is my friend Joe Baxter. Here is his comment:
Here we go, AGAIN. More whining from the liberals that wealthy people don't pay their "fair share". Tell us, Mr. Lucas, what is your idea of "fair share"? Don't regurgitate the Romney example, which is a bs assumption on your part.. There are plenty of super wealthy liberals that most likely pay less in taxes than Romney but we couldn't have a liberal complain about liberals, could we. I take every advantage of tax law to minimize my taxes, as do most prudent people. As long as taxpayers follow the laws, what is your beef? If you don't like the tax laws, write your Congressman to get them changed. But you have to remember, most Congressmen are rich and don't want to pay more taxes. Good luck with that.
This is very typical for my friend Joe. Is he not beautiful? Here is my reply:
Thank you, Joe. I am glad that you at least agree that people like Mitt Romney pay less in percentage to the government than a minimum wage worker. It is sad that you think this is the way it should be. I do write my congressman and I do write LTE's about what to me is an obvious injustice. You are doing the same thing. You are writing about your approval of this obvious injustice which is why we love you so much. Most Conservatives try to hide their contempt for working people and try to claim what I am saying is not true. You are upfront about your contempt and uncaring attitude for working people and we appreciate it. I have said it many times. You do more for the Liberal cause than any other writer on this forum. Thanks for your contribution to our cause.
HAVE FUN!!!!