The Left lashes out at Lefty
By Tom Quiner
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gh1ZVLuZdvE]
Phil Mickelson produces a unique product: entertainment.
He is a renown professional golfer famous for manufacturing some of the most spectacular golf shots in history.
Take the 2010 Masters. It was the final round of this, the most prestigious golf tournament in the world. He had been behind the entire tournament until the 12th hole when he finally took the lead.
And then it look like he blew it on the next.
His tee shot on the majestic 13th, a par five hole with a dogleg left, hooked to the right and nestled behind two trees.
Mr. Mickelson, known as Lefty since he hits from the left side, was faced with two choices. Play it safe and chip out into the fairway. Or he could go for the dramatic shot, which called for hitting it between a very narrow opening between two trees in front of him, clearing the creek in front of the green, and stopping the ball on the green … a virtually impossible proposition.
Lefty had Phil Westwood and Tiger Woods breathing down his neck. Any sane golfer would take the safe shot.
Not Phil Mickelson. Lefty went for it.
In one of the most thrilling shots of his career, he threaded the eye of the needle and nestled his shot close to the hole, helping him win his 3rd Masters title.
Lefty has recently run afoul of the thought police on the Left.
Mr. Mickelson had the audacity to complain about high tax rates. The president just raised rates on top producers like him. This increase comes on top of dramatic income tax hikes in his home state of California. It comes on top of an increase in Medicare taxes.
Lefty complained.
He suggested that California’s confiscatory rates might drive him from his home state to Florida, Texas, or some other state with no income tax:
“But if you add up, if you add up all the federal and you look at the disability and the unemployment and the Social Security and the state, my tax rate’s 62, 63 percent. So I’ve got to make some decisions on what I’m going to do,’ said Mickelson.”
A fellow touring golf professional, Geoff Ogilvy voiced concerns about Mickelson’s lack of compassion:
”He definitely showed a lack of sympathy for the plight of a lot of people, unemployed and all that sort of stuff.”
Democrats from California were upset.
Liberal bloggers pushed back.
And Mickelson caved:
”Finances and taxes are a personal matter, and I should not have made my opinions on them public. I apologize to those I have upset or insulted, and assure you I intend not to let it happen again.”
Ahh the power of political correctness. But seriously, what is Mickelson apologizing for? Human nature is human nature. Various taxing authorities are taking 63 percent of Mickelson’s productivity. That doesn’t count sales tax. That doesn’t count property taxes.
The closer total taxes get to 100 percent, the less incentive the productive have to be productive.
By the same token, the closer the rate gets to zero, the more incentive the productive have to be productive.
The trick is to find the proper balancing act.
Mickelson has evidently reached the tipping point and is looking for a move to another state. Tiger Woods acknowledged that is why he left California in the late 90s and moved to Florida.
Texas Governor Rick Perry touts his state’s no income tax status to Lefty:
”Hey Phil….Texas is home to liberty and low taxes…we would love to have you as well!!”
Phil Mickelson has nothing to apologize for. The president is going to take his productivity and redistribute a chunk of it to someone who didn’t earn it … or give it away to another Solyndra.
And then he’s going to borrow more from China, because it’s still not enough. Even if he confiscates all of the productivity from super producers like Phil Mickelson, it’s still not enough the way this president spends.
Phil Mickelson has bowed to the mob on the Left.
Now he will quietly move to Florida or Texas where he has more freedom on how he uses his own productivity.
Apparently rational self-interest is a no-no. That might explain why so few engage in it.
Actually you may be wrong. Those of us that earn high wages should pay more, it’s fair. We had a booming economy in the 50’s and 60’s and some of the 70’s. Under Eisenhower there was a 90% top tax rate and there were many millionaires made during the 50’s-70’s. And to boot, money meant something back there. You could buy a lot for a buck. Due to corporate America taking over vast economic areas and running mom and pop local companies out of business and simply controlling the markets for themselves, we now have a society that has a lower class and an upper class. The middle class does not actually exist any longer and it was once, 60% of the populous. In the end I have to say, how much is enough? In other countries that are doing well corporate execs get paid based on what they produce. Many if not most of the wall street, banking, real estate and insurance (what we call FIRE) would be fired in other countries for their lack of performance. We, the blue chip stock group, always earn excellent dividends. The rest of the country end up buying common stock and run a risk in doing so, but we, the ones with blue chip stock never take a beating. We’re ‘covered’ so to speak because we set the rules up that way. Having a lot is not living a good life. Having enough or more than enough should be sufficient. Help your community, your country, the military (rank and file) and school districts. The best thing we can do with money is insure we do not have generation after generation of uneducated individuals coming onto the scene needing a helping hand for the entirety of their lives and their children’s lives. No one needs billions nor do they need more than @ $50 million in cash. At that point you can retire, enjoy life and just giggle every morning you are blessed enough to wake up.
Giving tax breaks to corporate America or the wealthy will not create jobs. Think about what I just said. Until there are enough people working and earning a wage that allows for spending corporate America will not hire anyone nor will they produce any more ‘stuff’. They will as they have for 30 years, sit on the sidelines with their pockets stuffed waiting and waiting and waiting.
Stephen
Who are you to dictate how much money is “enough” for anybody? Who are you, Hitler? People’s money does not belong to the Govt – or anyone else. They earned it & it’s certainly not up to you or the damn Govt to take what I’ve worked hard all my life & made sacrifices to obtain. I have my own expenses and family to take care of and NONE of it belongs to you. If you want to give away more of your money – have at it. I already give to charities & St. Jude’s….I don’t need you or the Govt taking away my liberty, my possessions/money because you “think” someone else needs MY money more than I do. Hint: You have NO idea how much I make, how much I need or should need, nor any business demanding the Gov tax me more than anyone else. The Founding Fathers are rolling in their graves….it’s outright thievery in the name of some crap called, “social justice” which is income redistribution (Communism). The Boston Tea Party was over the Crown imposing a TWO percent tax. Phil is taxed ~ 66% (he works 2 out of every 3 days for free….its taken by The Govt for their own pensions & income redistribution to some other cause or family…its INSANE.
Matt, you apparently misread the post. I am in agreement with you.