The United States isn't broke. There's lots of money out there. The problem is that private individuals are holding on to it. If the government would just confiscate all that personal wealth, we'd be back on the road to prosperity. Heck, we could probably even have yet another "recovery summer."
That's the mentality of people like U.S. Representative Keith Ellison - a cash grabbing tax-and-spend liberal who represents Minnesota's 5th district.
“The bottom line is we’re not broke," Ellison told a gathering of Minnesota Democrats. "There’s plenty of money, it’s just the government doesn’t have it. The government has a right, the government and the people of the United States have a right to run the programs of the United States. Health, welfare, housing – all these things.”
In other words, the government has a right to take whatever privately-held wealth it deems necessary to continue it unconstitutional expansion.
Ellison made the remarks July 25th at the "Progressive Democrats of America" roundtable. He was supporting "The Inclusive Property Act" - a new tax, heavily favored by statist Democrats, which would levy a national sales tax on the trading of stocks, bonds, and derivatives. Yes, that would slow trading and stifle the market, but who cares about the financial implications? They think it would raise about $300 million a year for the feds, and that's all that matters.
This is part and parcel of the left wing mentality that says ALL money belongs to the government. You are allowed to keep some of it - temporarily - and your federal superiors should be allowed to determine how much and for how long. If they decide you're some kind of hoarder, swift action is required. We can't have the fat-cats sitting on all that private cash, can we?
If you're thinking that this new tax will be used to, say, pay down our $16 trillion debt, you shouldn't get your hopes up. It willl mostly be used to prop up the kinds of social programs that broke the bank in the first place.
According to the current IPA bill, money taken would fund “international sustainable prosperity programs such as health care investments, AIDS treatment, research and prevention programs, climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts by developing countries, and international assistance."
At least you know all that filthy lucre will be well spent.
