Michael Swickard
Our legislators distinguish between the rich and poor in public policy. They tax the rich much differently than the poor.
Every day you can hear our leaders talking about how they must “tax the rich” because the rich did not work for their money like poor folks. And, they add with a convincing nod of their head, the rich have more money than they need.
I have heard many times our legislators talk about how unfair it is for our society to allow the evil rich to keep their ill-gotten gains. These legislators keep changing the tax code to take more and more from the rich, but if we are to have a just society, they have not taken enough until they take all of it.
This travesty of the rich taking advantage of the poor is infecting our young people. More young people are forgetting their duty to the poor people of our country and are actually trying to become one of the idle rich who do not deserve the riches heaped upon them. It is heartbreaking.
Confiscate lottery winnings
Example: Last week someone plunked down a dollar in the Mega Millions lottery drawing and came away with more than $100 million after taxes. How can we Americans allow this to happen in our country? Remember, this is someone who does not need $100 million. They were getting by fine and, in fact, had an extra dollar to waste on the lottery.
Then the unthinkable happened and this person was just given this extreme amount of money, and the media covers it like it is a good thing. They ignore the fact that this money came from all of the poor people of our land who essentially got nothing in return for putting their dollars in the lottery.
It is time that our leaders take this bull by the tail and face the situation. While it may seem harsh, the good citizens of this country must confiscate all of that $100 million immediately from that now-rich person to remain true to our mission of taxing the evil rich. We cannot allow this injustice of one citizen having more than another to continue. Our public policy discussion must be that whenever someone gets money without effort we must take all of it away from them if we are to have a just society.
We have a model for these thoughts. It is the death tax, where someone was taxed when they made their money, taxed when they bought their resources, taxed regularly on the resources, and, when they have the temerity to die, our society has plainly said that the society must take those resources so that the next generation does not become the idle and evil rich.
Is there any difference between taking the family assets when someone dies and does not need them and taking this enormous amount of money that someone just got for putting a few coins in the lottery?
Next, when we confiscate legally this money that the newly evil rich person has scammed from all of the other citizens then we must make sure the money is returned to the citizens of this country. If I have figured correctly it will be about 33 cents a person minus the government handling cost of 30 cents. Every citizen should get 3 cents from this rich person who does not deserve the riches.
We cannot allow ill-gotten gains
Taking all lottery winnings is no different than taxing people extra if they work two jobs while other citizens are industriously watching television or sleeping longer. It is a no-brainer that you do not let people keep their ill-gotten gains.
I have no trouble with people playing the lottery if they so desire. It is a free country. But this is one place that the rich escape the censure of politicians. The news media refuses to cover this story and, in fact, helps perpetuate the injustice against poor people.
We cannot allow prizes to be awarded from the lottery because that would be ill-gotten gains – like when someone in a company gets a golden parachute. We must confiscate all lottery winnings if we are to have a just society. P.S. – I am not a nut.
Swickard is co-host of the radio talk show News New Mexico, which airs from 6 to 9 a.m. Monday through Friday on KSNM-AM 570 in Las Cruces and throughout the state through streaming. His e-mail address is michael@swickard.com.