In what amounted to blasphemy against Republican dogma, Mitt Romney went rogue yet again by calling for increasing taxes on the rich.
This comes on the heels of his 2016 scathing depiction of Donald Trump as an ill-tempered con man whose business failures are legendary.
Because of these proclamations, Romney has now alienated himself from both the MAGA faithful and the Republican supply-siders who still cling to trickle down economic theory.
In short, Romney has now completely separated himself from what remains of the Republican Party. Whether Romney’s left turn resulted from a road-to-Damascus epiphany or simply guilt over having so much when so many have so little, it’s encouraging to see a wealthy American of Romney’s conservative chops be willing to part with just a little of his fortune for the common good.
Many economists (at least budget experts) believe the ultra wealthy need only sacrifice a miniscule portion of their wealth in order to reap tremendous benefits to society. In this respect, a little goes a long way. Others believe fervently that such talk reflects a delusional bleeding-heart mentality that promotes a return to post-Depression tax rates — even though, during this period, belief in “the American dream” was much greater than the pessimism of today’s working class.
Yes, America had its problems in those days but economically things were improving for the great majority of Americans. Incomes were rising, while the gap between rich and poor was lessening.
But, more importantly, while polarization and bigotry did exist, it didn’t threaten to tear the country apart like it does today. Perhaps Romney’s warnings might seem prophetic to some but it’s more likely that he’s just expressing what many are afraid to say out loud.
Thomas Smith, Hurricane
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