Capital Gains and War

What do Capital Gains tax rates and War have in common? Both are political issues that are bitterly fought, but not well understood by one of the combatants.

Ask any Democrat, who pretends to know something about politics and economics, if capital gains tax rates should be decreased and you will hear an answer of “No. It’s a tax break for the rich”. That’s it. No more intelligent discussion after that. The Democrat knows that his party is against it. He knows that Republicans are for it. He knows that a talking point is “tax break for the rich”. That’s enough. He can pretend to be politically aware and support his party, without ever having to think for himself.

You could try to illustrate your point by asking who pays corporate taxes. You will get a blank stare. You can say that corporations do not pay corporate taxes and you will probably be called a name. You can elaborate that either stockholders, employees or consumers are the ones that ultimately pay corporate taxes and you will probably have insulted your debate partner in some way. Most Democrats don’t know and don’t care. They certainly don’t want to learn.

It would be a complete waste of time to explain the Laffer Curve and Supply Side Economics. This techno mumbo-jumbo is just another way of justifying tax breaks for the rich. Never mind that it has been proven countless times that lower taxes increase tax revenues, because economic activity also increases, making everyone better off. That doesn’t matter. It’s a tax break for the rich. The debate on the War is just as shallow.

The opponents of the War have the same level of awareness. They can only offer bumper sticker arguments. There is no thinking coming from the “peace” crowd. The anti-Americans on the Left have convinced their Democrat allies that Democrats can regain control of the United States government if the war effort fails. That’s enough. It’s higher minimum wages, open borders, more welfare, higher taxes on the rich, universal health care and all the other socialistic policies of the Left, if only we lose the war. That appears to be enough for most people who support the socialist-fascist Democrat party of today.

At some point, I would like to think that people would look at the long term consequences of their beliefs. Unfortunately, in the age of instant gratification, people look for a quickie feel-good political position, and go on with ignoring politics and worrying about who might send them a Valentine’s Day gift. I have no problem with people who don’t concern themselves with important political decisions. However, I have a huge problem with people who actively support a position, without having the slightest idea of its long-term ramifications.

The “peace” crowd in this country is such a group. It may feel good to say that you’re against war, but what are the alternatives? None are ever offered. Only bumper sticker slogans. “No War for Oil”. “Bush Lied, people Died”. Yawn.

We are where we are. No one on the pro-war side obsesses over Clinton’s failure to capture or kill Osama bin Laden, despite multiple opportunities to do so. At this point, it doesn’t matter. We have to live in the present. It doesn’t matter if there were mistakes made in the current war, the only question is where do we go from here? If we lose in Iraq, everything that Osama told his followers about America being a paper tiger, will help al-Qaeda’s recruiting immensely. If we win in Iraq, al-Qaeda will have suffered a humiliating defeat. Which option is worth pursuing?

The Democrats who have already surrendered in this war are banking on Americans believing that we shouldn’t defend ourselves against Islamofascists, because it is too costly. Are these people thinking in the long term or only for the next election? If they think the Islamofascists will just go away, I think they are dreaming. However, they know this will not happen, at least not the people who study this regularly. They know the consequences and choose to deal with it another day, when they are in power and Islamofascists are stronger. The Democrats are more than willing to sell out a few thousand lives today, to have political power tomorrow. I feel so good about them.

The 1930's

Fortunately, the world today is not in the same state as it was in the 1930’s. The Western economies are healthy, not like the Depression of the ‘30’s. The positive dissimilarities, unfortunately, end there. The negative dissimilarities are highlighted by the age of nuclear weapons and other WMDs. The negative similarities are remarkable.

In the 1930’s, there were dictators who openly spoke of world domination. Western civilization chose to dismiss this as mere rhetoric and chose to avoid war at all costs. Despite aggressive actions such as Hitler militarizing the Rhineland, annexing Austria and taking over Czechoslovakia. Despite Mussolini invading Ethiopia. Despite Japan invading Mongolia and bombing Shanghai. The signs were clear, but Western civilization refused to see them.

Today, the goals of Islam cannot be more clear. Death to all infidels. They say it every day. If you don’t know what an “infidel” is, congratulations, you are one. It becomes tiresome to site the evidence, because it is so common. Iran has preached Death to America since 1979. Palestinians cheered on September 11th. Terrorists from Middle Eastern countries have attacked Americans on nearly countless occasions since the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979. There should be no denying the intent. Unfortunately, there is.

As members of a prosperous society, we seek to avoid war at all costs. We even deny a state of war when it clearly exists. We project our beliefs of life onto the enemy and think we can negotiate and reason with him, despite zero evidence that it will succeed. The enemy is clear in his intentions.

I don’t think Americans will take the threat seriously until something more tragic than September 11th happens. The “peace” crowd is fond of comparing Bush to Hitler. This is comforting in a way, because Bush is one of us, who can be reasoned with. Why doesn’t the “peace” crowd compare Iran’s President Ahmadinejad to Hitler? The resemblance is much more striking. However, Ahmadinejad is a fanatic who cannot be reasoned with. He is too scary. He must be dealt with. The only negotiation he will recognize is a MOAB (Mother of all Bombs) dropped on his palace. However, War is not the answer. At least, according to the “peace” crowd.

Ronald Reagan said that of the 4 wars during his lifetime, none were caused by America being too strong. He was right. (He ended the Cold War, so his opinion does indeed mean Something). The Islamists believe that America is too weak to fight. They recognize our military superiority, but also acknowledge our political fissions. They truly believe that our political differences will cause us to withdraw from battle. I think they are dead wrong.

Americans are Americans because of a deep believe in liberty. The Islamists who threaten our world believe in an existence of sacrificing themselves to their god, Allah. Their holy book, the Koran, teaches them that the only way into heaven is death from jihad, holy war. Did Jesus teach this kind of stuff? Seriously, this is what Islamists teach their children. Palestinians have bumper stickers that say “Proud Parent of an Islamic Jihad Martyr”. Sadaam used to pay families $20k for having a family member who killed himself while taking some Jooooos with him.

We are approaching a world war. We can be like the Europeans of the 1930’s, and avoid it until it threatens our existence. Or we can fight it now when it is still weak. What do you want to do? It may be politically expedient to deny the war and gain political power. However, the threat is real. The longer we avoid it, the stronger it becomes. Hitler gave his army orders to retreat if the French crossed the border when Germans occupied the Rhineland. He said that “we would have run back with our tails between our legs” had the French responded. They didn’t. 20 million dead Europeans may have wished that they did.

We can fight it now, or we will fight it later. Seriously, what is the right decision? Think for yourself! We can watch American Idol today, and let our grandchildren fight the next war. We are at war. Whether we want to acknowledge it or not.

The Anti-WWII Crowd

Imagine the arguments of the current anti-war left, if only they had been popular in the 1940’s:

No War for Rice! – The Imperialistic designs of the eeevil Roosevelt administration are risking our soldiers’ lives so they can control Japan’s resources. Bring the troops home now!

Roosevelt Lied, People Died! – This was no Day that will Live in Infamy. It was less than 3000 Americans killed at Pearl Harbor, and most of them were military who didn’t study enough in school and ended up stuck in Hawaii. France had many times this number killed, and they did the honorable thing…surrender.

Find the Real Terrorists – Admiral Yamamoto is sailing somewhere in the Pacific on his battleship, while Americans are foolishly deployed in Europe and North Africa. Capture Yamamoto and bring him to justice!

Do it for the Children – Germany was much better off under Hitler than when the U.S. took its war of choice and aggression into Germany. There is no evidence that Germany had anything to do with planning the attack on Pearl Harbor. Redeploy Now!

Somehow, these slogans just don’t inspire support. It’s ironic how things change over time, while history continues to repeat itself.