Killing the Golden Geese

Your Emperor likens the current economic policy of the Federal government to the story of the Golden Goose. In this case, the golden goose or geese in this case are the so-called "rich." Using 2007 tax returns anyone filing a return with more than $113,000 on it was in the top 10% of wage earners and provided 61% of the tax revenue from income taxes. Anyone filing with more than $66,500 was in the top 25% of wage earners and provided 86% of the tax revenue. Thus, from the Emperor's perspective, people in the top 25% are the golden geese that lay the golden eggs that the government collects.

Now it must be understood that your Emperor was not born rich, is not currently rich, and has no desire to be rich. The Emperor is content to be rich in spirit and leaves the pursuit of material wealth to others. In his great wisdom and keen observation of his beloved subjects, the Emperor has concluded that many of his people desire to "be a millionaire." The Emperor does not look unkindly on his subjects for feeling this way. However, he is disappointed that so many who desire this wealth for themselves are so envious of those who already have it.

The Order of the Donkey has exploited this feeling of envy among the people to fashion an unfair and ruinous tax policy on the wealthy. The Emperor believes that a man who earns an honest buck should be allowed to keep it regardless of how many he has. It seems that many who wish to confiscate the wealth of the rich do so on the belief that they have obtained their wealth unfairly or through the exploitation of others. Yet, at the same time, the envious desire this wealth for themselves.

The Order of the Donkey and the Order of the Elephant have different policies concerning the taxation of the rich. The Elephants believe that the best way to obtain more golden eggs is to make it easier for more people to become "golden geese." The Donkeys believe the best way to obtain more golden eggs is to squeeze more eggs out of the geese. Unfortunately, as history has proved, squeezing the geese just kills them.

The new domestic policies that are emerging in Washington now are funded on the "squeezing the geese" concept. As such, these polices will doom the economy. The golden geese will become fewer in number and begin producing fewer and fewer eggs. This, in turn, will lead to more squeezing of the geese and a lowering of the threshold for qualifying as a "golden goose."

To prevent this predictable tragedy form occurring again, the Emperor has decreed that none of his subjects will pay more than %15 of their annual income in taxes regardless of how much they earn. Furthermore, everyone in the bottom %50 of wage earners (below $35,000) will pay no income tax at all.