Posts in Opinion Archive
Yes, Candidates, Word Choice Matters

A common refrain of some of the presidential candidates is that the wealthy do not pay “their fair share” of taxes. While it is pretty clear that this means the wealthy should pay “more,” what isn’t clear is how much more would be considered “fair.” What is also not clear is whether the use of the word “fair” is in fact fair. Let’s try to be fact-based, rational, and fair.

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The Price of Capitalism

Put on the defensive by Bernie Sanders, who is a self-described socialist (albeit not in the true definition of the word), Democratic candidates for president have been asked to take a side. Are you a socialist or a capitalist? So far, they all profess to be capitalists. Their rhetoric, however, would suggest they don’t always understand what this means. Just recently, Joe Biden criticized companies for not paying their employees a living wage while buying back stock. In her autobiography, Kamala Harris attributes the decline in middle-class wages to corporate greed. Elizabeth Warren’s invective against Wall Street is legendary. How can they be both against it and for it? Perhaps we can help them to reconcile their inconsistency. Let’s try to be fact-based and rational.

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