Politics for Christmas

Today for Christmas I went home for a late lunch. I am staying at Martha's for a few days while they are out in Mississippi. Mom invited a friend over, Festus. I don't think they are actually dating yet but they met online. He seems nice enough, but during the meal we began talking about politics. He's a black man from Nigeria, so he has more of an outsider's perspective, but it was a bit frustrating discussing things with him. He repeatedly emphasized the need to not rely on emotion but to remain objective and to evaluate the data for yourself. I agree with that caution but it seemed to be something he fell back on as an argument when I don't think I could have been any more objective.

We began talking about things that make America great and that led into Mom and I trying to convince him that there is truth to the idea that poor, black Americans have developed a culture of entitlement, blaming "the man" and the system for their problems. He stated that statistically more white people are supported by welfare than black people. I'm a bit hesitant to believe that, but I think the more telling statistic would be to compare the percentages of whites and black (and Asian and Hispanic) people in poverty who have relied on welfare for extended periods of time, particularly from generation to generation. In addition to this, we should compare levels of education - what percentage graduates from high school and college; median household income; and violent crime rates (probably ages 16-24 specifically).

I may not have any of those figures in hand, but I think (and I'm not alone in this belief) that there is a definite culture of laziness, envy, and bitterness among poor, mostly undereducated African-Americans. Of course there are happy exceptions, but as a group, sections of cities with high concentrations of poor people (ghettos) run rampant with crime (gangs and drugs) driven by low levels of education and a feeling of helplessness. They feel helpless because they think government isn't doing enough to help them. They feel entitled to live like rich, white Americans. But the objective reality is that there are numerous federal programs to help poor families in need, and many are particularly for African-Americans. These programs will help those who take the initiative to change the status quo and help themselves crawl out from under poverty.

Then we got talking about taxes, and while he agreed that overall Americans feel entitled to "the American dream" (without the work, usually, and spending way beyond their means using credit), it took me 10 minutes to get him to admit that it is equally unfair (that the 1% can live in luxury while so many poor, and now middle class, families struggle just to get by) that 50% of Americans do not pay income taxes. It's a bit more complex, but if we are simply talking about fairness, then EVERY American citizen should pay taxes of some kind in order to give back and maintain the freedoms and luxuries that they enjoy.

Now, as I've realized reading the article more closely, I see that very few people pay NO taxes. There are payroll taxes. And personally I feel that income tax doesn't make any sense as it discourages success, and I've heard it called unconstitutional a few times.

I love the idea of free, state healthcare for everyone, but right now there is no way we can afford to make that transition, regardless of how well the European model is. (Europe has its own problems)

There are tons of tax law loopholes for the 1% to exploit. Absolutely. Could they afford to pay more taxes? Yes. Many say they would be fine with higher taxes. But I don't think they SHOULD. Don't play it off as an emotional argument that it's only fair. What do they have to give for it to be fair? If you want to talk about what's fair, the rich are more than pulling their own weight. They are paying for over half the country.

Anyway, I was so upset when I produced an article right on my phone for him with the percentage number of Americans who don't pay income tax (51%) and he said something like not trusting everything you see / the source. I haven't been this angry since my last argument with Snickers.

I need to do more reading and research about taxes, but I did read this excellent article about Bill Cosby's 'Pound Cake' speech, where he said that African-Americans need to stop blaming white Americans for their problems and get rid of the mentality that they are owed a certain kind of life from the government. I definitely do not agree with many of the writer's points, but the first comment of the article should also be read. 'This is how we Lost to the White Man.'

I meant to elucidate my current beliefs on several issues including taxes, foreign policy, and energy, but this blog post has dragged on far too long already and I am too tired (on Christmas, no less) to continue.