Bernie Sanders, I-VT, has risen from irrelevancy to reclaim fifteen minutes of fame with his stunning statement that high-earning Americans should turn over 100% of earnings over $1 billion to the government.
Per Sanders in a recent interview, “You may disagree with me, but I think people can make it on $999 million. I think that they can survive just fine.”
Of course, waging war on high-income earners is nothing new for Sanders. During his 2020 presidential campaign, he proposed a “wealth tax” of 1% for married couples with a net worth of $32 million and an 8% tax for those earning $10 billion.
The purpose of the “wealth tax” was to end a few individuals’ prosperity deliberately. He argued, “Under this plan, the wealth of billionaires would be cut in half over 15 years, which would substantially break up the concentration of wealth and power of this small, privileged class.”
Of course, his newest proposal does not impact most Americans, but deliberately targeting the wealthy should concern everyone.
At what point are you too wealthy?
President Joe Biden ran on promises of tax hikes for the wealthy, and many Americans blindly agreed with the concept without realizing how it would affect the middle class. Tax season came with a sticker shock for many people as they realized they were still paying more in taxes alongside their “wealthy” counterparts, despite raising tax brackets.
This time, the tax increases were not a coordinated attack on the middle class but the result of ending tax breaks they had become accustomed to throughout the pandemic.
Sanders’ billionaire bucks’ seizure will only directly affect 1% of Americans, but the shockwaves will indirectly impact all citizens. Billionaires are the ones who own the companies and corporations that employ middle-class and lower-income families, and they will not roll over quietly.
They did not become billionaires by allowing the government to dictate how much they earn and what they are “allowed” to do with their funds. Corporations’ owners will do what they always do: pass the hit to the consumer through increased prices and services, lay off employees, and move their businesses and money overseas.
The idea of communism, which Sanders proudly embraces, is that it is unfair that those with money have more power and wealth than those at the bottom and that this small percentage of people control laws, media, and social authorities. America has witnessed this within the constructs of a Democratic presidency, and it is no coincidence that those in power are wealthy.
But where common sense departs from communistic ideology is that common sense is rooted in the belief that being wealthy is the American dream and that high-income earners deserve to keep their money. Communism believes that no one deserves to own anything and that all should profit from the work of others.
No one should own anything, that is, except for those in power.
In his book, “It’s OK to Be Angry About Capitalism,” Sanders claims that billionaires should not exist. The book states that capitalism “is an attack upon a system. You can have a vibrant economy without [a few] people owning more wealth than the bottom half of American society combined.”
During a recent interview with Chris Wallace, journalist and host of the HBO show “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace,” Sanders explained that he believes “people who work hard and create businesses should be rich,” but also claims to be offended that some people are billionaires.
In Bernie Land, a select few should decide who is rich enough and what the line is between “wealthy” and “too wealthy.” He defines this line as $1 billion, and while that seems unattainable to most Americans, it is just the beginning.
Biden defines “wealthy” as those earning $400k, and with the economic destruction currently at play in America, expect that number to drop.
In a communist world, middle-class people would be considered wealthy, and in the ultimate endgame of progressives, anyone earning an income will eventually become targeted for “redistribution” of their earnings.
It is easy to discount the ideas of Sanders and his supporters as unattainable “pipe dreams.” Still, it is important to remember that dictatorships and communism do not happen overnight, and progressives are much better than conservatives at playing the long game.
As Margaret Thatcher famously said, “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.”
When billionaires take their money to safe havens outside the United States, millionaires will quickly follow suit, leaving the working middle class as the last target standing.
With $400k already considered by Biden to be the dividing point between the haves and the have-nots, it will not be long before Sue, the waitress at the diner, is considered wealthy for the $50 in tips she gets during her shift.
And Uncle Bernie will be waiting to confiscate it all.
