There are legitimate concerns that might be raised regarding the proposed constitutional amendment increasing the tax rate on incomes over $1 million, but Chris Collins’ recent dismissal of it as “demonizing rich people” is not one of them. Instead, it’s just more of the hysterical hyperbole that makes serious discussion of public policy difficult. Rather than try to understand the issue, Collins chose to ask “when did it suddenly become a bad thing to be successful in this country?” (relax, Chris – it didn’t), and trot out the dog-eared straw men of redistributing wealth and bloated bureaucracy.
Nobody’s talking about redistributing wealth, and of course the state government wastes some money — all large organizations waste money. If Collins thinks that no one gets bloated salaries in the private sector, he’s not paying attention, and if he thinks that there is plenty of money already in the budget to cover all existing needs, then he should flesh out the details of how that might be done. Simply waving his hands and declaring that it’s self-evidently possible is the lazy way out. Perhaps Collins should write next about newspaper columnists who “phone in” preconceived notions rather than making the effort to truly understand a topic?
If we accept the premise that a tax increase might be very beneficial to the common good (debatable, sure, but not with slogans), then suggesting that it should be borne by those likely to feel it least is not “demonizing” them. The alternative is to continue to have everyone pay the same, something Warren Buffet (usually considered an epitome of success, not a demonizer) is on record as saying is very unfair. Does Collins disagree? This proposal deserves serious discussion. I hope that next time Chris Collins will offer more than casual slurs and cheap shots.
Mike Naughton
Millers Falls