A village of 100
Let’s boil America down to a village of 100 people. They can easily be broken up into two basic broad brush camps — those who Produce — and those who Take from those who, you know, Produce. Let’s look at some undisputed facts about America’s population as it relates to Takers and Producers.
The Producers
We’ll start with who pays 70 percent of all personal income taxes. That would be just ten of the villagers. Let that fact sink in a bit before continuing. I, and many of my good friends are part of that group. Know what hurts, but more than that, galls? Those same ten people provide a super majority of the jobs in the village. Jobs providing food and shelter for their employees. So, let’s review what we know so far. Ten percent of our village’s population pay 70 percent of the taxes, AND provide by far, most of the jobs in the village.
Yet, many, somewhere between just under or over half of the villagers, claim those ten people aren’t payin’ their fair share. Think that’s a bit cheeky do ya? It gets better, much better.
46 of the villagers don’t even pay taxes. Hmmmmm. They love the current system. Are you surprised? In fact, they elected a new leader not long ago who sided with them completely. Those greedy Producers, all they wanna do is make more money and pay less than nearly 3/4 of all the village’s taxes. Yeah, they provide most of the jobs, but all that does is make ’em richer. Are we gonna stand by and let that happen?!! NO! Let’s make ’em pay more taxes, till at least they’re payin’ their fair share.
The Takers
The 46 villagers benefit from all that taxes pay for, without contributing. Water/sewer, education, electrical power, and the rest are all paid for by, well… not them. They take all those benefits though, and with a sense of righteous entitlement. They’re also horrifically close to achieving a plurality in the village. It’s been comin’ for some time now. If they can just convince a few more neighbors that the strategy of livin’ off the bounty of what they’re able to steal vote into tax law, taking from Producers, they’ll have finally won — and probably for good.
Which means sooner, much sooner than most realize, the village will end up with roughly 85 villagers, give or take. Most, if not all the ten who were payin’ 70% of the taxes? They’ll simply stop producing past the point of supporting their own families — or flee the village outright. A few others who make a bit less, but much more than most, will do the same.
California
It probably woulda been more accurate to have begun with my native state as the analogy, instead of America. It’s much farther along the path of ultimate economic failure. The Producers are leaving at an unprecedented rate. As mentioned above, fleeing would be the most accurate description. How else would you describe a family with multiple generations rooted in the state, leaving friends and family behind? Why would they choose to experience the financial and emotional upheaval that extreme option brings to bear?
The Takers never learn. What they know for sure, is that livin’ off producers has been workin’ most of their lives. Why change now, and mess with something that’s ‘produced’ such reliable results for so long? Indeed — why?
California recently exhibited this blindness towards reality. Since their Producers, people like you and me, plus hundreds of employers are racing to the nearest exits, they decided to tax Amazon’s ‘Affiliates.’ Now, Amazon has no presence in California. But, as the Taker role model state, it behooved them to tax California residents who were part of Amazon’s Affiliate program.
Amazon’s response was like Paul Revere — The Takers are coming!!
They immediately fired all California Affiliates. Boom! Tax that, California. Know what 100% of nothin’ is? The so-called Golden State just found out in real time in front of God and everyone. In fact, they just did a humiliating u-turn reversing that law, but with a condition. (laugh track inserted here) Amazon had to agree not to continue signing folks up to put a new proposition on the ballot that would’ve ended this forever. As it stands, the new law is only good for a year, as I understand it.
The real question
Anyone with an IQ of three digits, all of which are whole numbers to the left of, and before  hittin’ that pesky decimal point, can see the trend of our village.
Are you a Taker? Or are you a Producer? We’re all about to find out there is no middle ground. When there’s nothing left to plunder, the Takers, in a final act of abject ignorance, will blame the Producers. A crime when you think about it, especially when there are so many mirrors available.
When the Takers win, we all lose.
