The latest comments from Elizabeth Warren make it pretty clear that while the left may claim they just want really everyone to pay their "fair share", they truly do have a fundamentally different perspective on society than what has traditionally been valued since the founding of America.
In a video that has just been released, Warren said:
“I hear all this, you know, ‘Well, this is class warfare, this is whatever. No. There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own — nobody.“You built a factory out there? Good for you. But I want to be clear. You moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for. You hired workers the rest of us paid to educate. You were safe in your factory because of police-forces and fire-forces that the rest of us paid for. You didn’t have to worry that marauding bands would come and seize everything at your factory — and hire someone to protect against this — because of the work the rest of us did.
“Now look, you built a factory and it turned into something terrific, or a great idea. God bless — keep a big hunk of it. But part of the underlying social contract is, you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along.”
What are the issues? First of all, it implies that the economic issues that conservatives want to cut are police, firemen, roads, and education. While there may be some who want to see the funding their evaluated, Warren ignores the issue of entitlement programs - Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid - piling debts onto the deficit. Secondly, she is saying that government allows you to get wealthy, and society and government get to decide how much of the wealth you get to keep. At its most base level, her argument against the wealthy shows the battle going on in government between the philosophies of collectivism and individualism.
And what about her claim that EVERYONE is paying for the roads, schools, etc.?
"No, 49% are paying for the roads. 49% are paying for the roads," Glenn said referring to those who don't pay any income tax. "I'm paying for schools in New York I don't use."
Pat pointed out that the wealthy are actually paying significantly more for schools and programs they will never use than those that use them on a regular basis.
"ot to mention I don't know if anyone's noticed but it hasn't exactly been my viewpoint, and I don't think either of yours, demanding that we dump more money into public schools. That wasn't us. That was you guys (progressives). So when you guys put these gigantic programs in and then you say that we're benefitting, we didn't try to do that. That wasn't our idea. You're the ones that want that. I'd love to have private schools. I don't know, everyone seems to prefer them," Stu added.
"And you know what the real problem is? Those who get rich and then try to block the door for everyone else. Hello, Jeffrey Immelt, GE. That's what the problem is. The people who get rich, they have these gigantic corporations and then go to Washington and say, 'Listen, I want some special deals here.'," Glenn added.
Glenn argued that instead of the government supporting all these programs through money taken from people through taxes, individuals should get jobs - even at McDonald's if they have to - to get by. "I am a guy who has emptied garbages, I am a guy who has swept the floor. I've done it. I'll do it again. Before I'll take a handout, I will do it again."
Glenn pointed out that if he was at the point where his family couldn't eat, he would go to his church and look to them for help before the government. Why? Because those are individuals choosing to give their wealth through charity to those less fortunate, not the government taking it and deciding to use it on programs that said individuals may not use, support, or believe in.