rue patriotism isn't cheap. It's about taking on a fair share of the burdens of keeping America going.
Those who earn tens of millions of dollars a year but
pay less than 14 percent of their incomes in taxes, and argue the
rich should pay even less, are not true patriots.
Those who defend indefensible tax loopholes, such as
the "carried interest" loophole that allows private-equity managers
to treat their incomes as capital gains even if they risk no income of
their own, are not true patriots.
Those who avoid taxes by putting huge amounts of their earnings into IRAs via foreign tax shelters are not true patriots.
Those who want to cut programs that benefit the poor -
Food Stamps, child nutrition, Pell grants, Medicaid - so that they
can get a tax cut for themselves and their affluent friends - are not
true patriots.
Robert Reich is Chancellor's Professor of Public
Policy at the University of California at Berkeley. He has served in
three national administrations, most recently as secretary of labor
under President Bill Clinton. He has written thirteen books, including
"Locked in the Cabinet," "Reason," "Supercapitalism," "Aftershock," and
his latest e-book, "Beyond Outrage." His 'Marketplace' commentaries can be found on publicradio.com and iTunes.
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