And of course nationally the war against the middle class and working people has been a bi-partisan project over the last generation (spearheaded to be fair by Republicans). Anyone know what the real rate of taxation for the wealthiest and middle class was in early January, 1969? It was above 60% for the wealthiest Americans and (great society and all) below 20% for the middle class. Anyone know what it was by 1975, after Nixon and his GOP and Democrat enablers in congress got finished with the tax code? Just over 30% for the wealthiest Americans, and well over 20% for the middle class. You have to credit to Reagan though. He dispensed with Nixon’s populist pretense and stealth tactics and in full daylight brought the tax burden of the wealthiest Americans and the middle class into statistical parity (thanks Mr. Sherman for teaching me about “statistical parity” PS it may not be a good idea to sleep with your underage students).

And then there’s the steady erosion of economic security for the middle class, with the ongoing exodus of high wage, high benefit blue collar middle class jobs (Europe and Asia subsidize their manufacturing sectors - why didn’t we?), and now the emerging exodus of high wage, high benefit white collar middle class jobs (which you’ll note often require years and years and tens of thousands of dollars worth of education), all of which might be okay if we were actually creating new economic sectors (unless sucking on Tom Friedman’s toes counts as a new economic sector). Add to this the fact that tens of millions of Americans still don’t have health insurance (including millions of middle class Americans), the costs of higher education are insane (and no pell grants for the middle class), to say nothing of the noxious bankruptcy bill (but at least the rich still have loopholes to shield their assets, right? thank God for that).

The culture industry seems to have an obsession with the super rich. Popular culture from Cribs on MTV, the show about Gotti’s daughter, the seemingly endless number of shows that document the absurd celebrity consumption, etc…

Yet the net effect on the average person is confusing to me. When I watch cribs and see Russell Simons (rap mogul featured in THE NATION subscription ads) is on TV bragging about his gold toilet, I want to get involved in a revolutionary group. I mean what an asshole.

But the Wealth marketing of the culture industry only seems to create envy. A kind of relativist wealth envy. The “if you were rich, you would buy a gold toilet” kind of rationalizations. Or “he worked hard for his money” kind of thing. Well most people, especially in entertainment are lucky. As someone that works in the biz, Hollywood is the shallowest place on earth.

The owner of the company I work for gets a $40 (or maybe $60 in city of LA) parking ticket almost everyday. He parks in the yellow zone, that will not get you towed but will get you a fine. For me, the fine is fairly stiff. For him, it is chump change.

He could easily park less than a block up the road and not get a ticket. But I think he does it because he can do it. Sort of a passive aggressive form of bragging. A way of reminding us employees of how lucky we are. All the while the girl next to me has a $25,000 a year base salary (and meager bonus pay) in Los Angeles.

It does not bother him in the least bit that his hard working employee has to take on a second job to survive. Or that she took a pay cut to work for him. He keeps on getting those daily parking tickets just to let us know “who is boss.”

But wait, it gets better; he drives a Prius (no bullshit) with a “no war on Iraq” sticker and donated $50,000 of company money to MoveOn, the Sierra Club, and ACT.

Why on can’t working people bring up class again?

Why the subjunctive, Michael? Weren’t you just explaining to me over at GM’s that you are?!

“What isn’t very funny is how the poor bastard who gets to wait hand and foot on these Bev Hills snobs – and their baby, and their dogs—will probably wind up paying about the same tax rate as his or her celeb employer.”

Why does the poor bastard take the job in the first place?

And it is a simple fact that the more you earn the more, in terms of the percentage of total income tax payments collected, you contribute. The top 50% of of taxpayers, by income, paid 96% of the individul income taxes collected in 2000 and 2001 (last years I could find stats for). The income for this same 50% amounts to 86% of the total.

http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/js1287.htm

But you’re correct, the share of adjusted gross income of the top 50% has increased when comparing, say, 1995 to 2001. But that brings us back to jealousy and envy because it doesn’t appear to have anything to do with tax policy.

http://www.taxfoundation.org/publications/show/250.html

Top 5% of wage earners still accounting for over 50% of tax revenue.

After Bush’s tax cuts: 1) unemployment went down from what it would have been. A low unemployment rate is the BEST thing for poor people, on an absolute level.

2) The percentage of the total “income tax collected” by the IRS from the top 20% went UP — the rich got a smaller percentage tax cut than the middle class. (The poor already pay almost no income tax — can’t cut 0 by much).

Finally, the US should focus more on WEALTH taxes, not INCOME taxes — honestly punish the wealthy for being so wealthy rather than punish the hard working for creating so much wealth. (All taxes are essentially punishments.) A Land Value Tax (see Henry George) would be good — and also reduce the prices of houses.

It’s not a love of kings and queens. It’s recognition that penalizing success is a bad thing.

What I cant let go however is what our good friend “too many steves” asks about why the galley slave would take the job in the first place. Im going to go way out on a limb here and say it’s because he or she prefers to eat rather than to starve. Oh.. sorry… I just remembered, it’s all a matter of choice. As Victor Hugo, I believe, pointed out (correct me if Im wrong) “both a rich man and a poor man have an equal right to sleep under a bridge.”

I think it was Anatole France.

This isn’t about people making 100 or 200K a year. Those folks are getting screwed tax-wise. It is that tiny, tiny minority of super ultra wealthy that comprise a tenth of 1 percent of the population. Their wealth and share of the wealth has grown exponentially since the late seventies, and no, it is not “trickling down.” Meanwhile the tax rate they pay is as good as the middle income earners, and that’s on what they declare. Who knows how much is hidden away, untaxed.

Meanwhile, more and more folks get to pay the Alternative Minimum Tax (which is not indexed to inflation). Nobody talks about it because to fix this problem would make our deficits even worse. There just is no money for tax relief for the moderately wealthy, but an endless supply, it seems, for the oh-so-very-very-rich.

So wake up, those of you who think the Bush tax cuts really helped you out. Chances are you got squat.

Envy. Ah, yes. What a convenient way to explain away any desire for social or economic justice. For those confused about these issues I recommend spending some serious time with the working poor. And, by that I don’t mean giving to charity from a great height, but actually walking with people who, de spite the fact that they work hard every day to feed their families, really have trouble making it. “What’s hard for the nonpoor to see,” writes Barbara Ehrenreich in her wonderful book, *Nickel and Dimed*, “is poverty as acute distress.”

Josh, thanks for the daily parking ticket/boss story. It’s depressingly memorable—all the more so for the Prius and accoutrements.

Somewhat OT, a heads up for those commenters, readers and lurkers in the LA area: David Hare’s play “Stuff Happens,” has just opened at the Mark Taper Forum. It debuted in London 9 months ago, but has been remounted for the Taper’s smaller stage by Gordon Davidson as his pre-retirement swan song.

The subject matter is the Bush and Blair administrations and the run up to war. Hare has culled the bulk of the dialogue from actual statements made by all the various “characters”—-Bush, Cheney, Wolfowitz, Condi, Colin Powell, Rumsfield, Blair, Jack Straw, French foreign minister, Dominique de Villepin, Hans Blix….and others.

I saw it over the weekend, and thought it was stupendous theater. The play is assuredly liberal in its views, but incredibly smart, very entertaining and, despite having a strong POV, it takes no easy shots. Hare’s much too skillful for that. (And Gordon, BTW, does a great job of directing.) It’s gonna sell out fast, so if you have any urges to see it, buy tickets now.

(The LA Times reviewed it this morning: http://www.calendarlive.com/stage/cl-et-stuff7jun07,0,1120752.story?coll=cl-stage-top-right)

And to circle this subject vaguely back to the topic of wealth, class and privilege, it should be noted that the Taper sells $12 tickets for all but Saturday night performances, two hours before the box office opens.

If this isnt the Stockholm Syndrome, what is?

Here’s a novel thought for those of you in the “dont penalize success” mindset: try turning it on it’s head. Why are you then in favor of penalizing what you might call failure? Or poverty? Or being born to working class parents? All these dumbfucks should be penalized and pay the same portion of taxes as Penelope Friggin’ Cruz?

What a sad, sad state of affairs that y’all can have your brains so thoroughly washed. Of course, in the end, the joke’s really on you. Even if ur a comfy six figure earner, you’re getting hosed by the current tax skew. Stop by my house and I’ll give you some free vaseline to enhance ur pleasure