Robin Hood

[mellowtigger]

Suppose that you're a government looking to fund your daily operations.  Divide the population in half based on their individual wealth.  One half holds 97.5% of the nation's wealth, while the other half holds 2.5% of the nation's wealth.  Where do you look for your money?  The details of wealth distribution in America from some politically biased groups are all rather disturbing.  The same trend emerges, however, when relying on more traditional sources like university professors of sociology in state universities or even Jesuit colleges.

Several years ago, I told some locals that the only important "Reality Television" show worth making would be a Robin Hood production in which someone films their group stealing from the rich to give to the poor.  There might be problems finding a network to broadcast such illegalities, but I'm sure it could easily go viral as an online distribution.  Can you imagine the ratings if somebody started stealing from executives at banks and oil companies?



I'm happy to report that the Robin Hood tax is an actual idea in the UK.  It's not as promising as it sounds (a socialist direct transfer of wealth), so it's a misleading use of the "Robin Hood" name.  It's more of a band-aid solution, but at least it directs tax collection efforts at the appropriate sources.  It's a tax of a very small amount (1/20th of 1%) on the value of financial transactions such as stock purchases.  A really nice idea, I think, even if it doesn't address the underlying problems in the economy and society.

The "financial transaction tax" idea has been discussed (and promptly hushed) in America, because somebody keeps telling us that it's morally wrong to tax the rich or the banks or the corporations or the churches.  America is supposed to protect the interests of the incorporated bodies, you see, not the biological ones.

Today's lesson:  Never let me near Microsoft Paint, or I'll make an awful and not-quite-accurate graphic.