“Greed: A word commonly used by liberals, low achievers, anti-capitalists and society's losers to denigrate, shame and discredit those who have acquired superior job skills and decision-making capabilities and who, through the application of those job skills have accumulated wealth.” Neal Boortz

A common refrain from anti-healthcare reform parties (be they Republicans, Blue Dog Dems, or the insurance companies that finance both of them) is that it is unfair and undemocratic to put the burden of paying for healthcare reform on the taxpayer.   What they don’t tell you, but any thinking person knows is that the money to pay for healthcare reform won’t come from an average taxpayer, it would come from the top 1% of Americans whose greed and power has grown at an incredible pace since the 1980’s. 

To which those who, like nationally syndicated radio host Neal Boortz, have reflexive deference to the super wealthy, would say the quote this blog started with that equates to: “Ayn Rand is right, losers hate rich people and want to destroy them!”

Since 1979, the top 1% of Americans have seen their effective tax rates drop by 15% while their after tax income has more than tripled (source: Hendrick Hertzberg, New Yorker, August 3, 2009).  Hmm… it would seem that it’s the opposite of what Boortz and Rand devotees suppose, it would seem that rich people hate losers (in this case losers being 99% of America) and are out to destroy them by keeping all of society’s wealth to themselves and making sure the middle class and the lower class either can’t afford or can barely afford any healthcare. 

What planet does Boortz and his fellow anti-progressive zealots live on that it’s unfair to ask the rich for money to pay for healthcare for the majority of society after the rich have seen their taxes go dramatically down and their income dramatically increase?  Imagine if you had a 15% tax cut and tripled your income, would you mind kicking in a few extra bucks to make sure that kids can get antibiotics?  Of course you wouldn’t, but then again that’s why, according to Boortz, you are an anti-capitalist loser who wants to disincentive being successful. Who is really being unfair and undemocratic?  The top 1% who want to horde their wealth or the 99% of America who want to be able to get sick without going to the poor house?