Joe Biden: Patriotism and Taxes

I am glad Obama chose Joe Biden as his VP, for many reasons and on many levels, rather than going with the obvious choice of Hillary Clinton.

 

One reason is that I now know what Democrats mean  by "patriotism"--a word they use a lot (generally: "Don' you dare attack my patriotism"), without providing any definition.  I have never thought the word has any objective meaning, and has pretty much become worthless (after leftists have tried to define it in a way that suggests Jane Fonda was being "patriotic" when she went to Hanoi to cheer on the soldiers fighting our troops, because Fonda thought it was in the best interest of our country that she do that).    Either attacking or defending a person's "patriotism", by merely asserting that someone is "patriotic" or not "patriotic does not advance the argument. 

 

But Biden has educated me on what leftists really mean by "patriotism".  It is PAYING TAXES (especially the "rich" paying more taxes so that the government can write checks to the rest of us).  I am glad for the clarification, which does define the leftist idea of "patriotism" more clearly and exactly, but it does raise a few problems. 

 

First, how will leftists defend themselves against charges from people like me (never using the word "patriotism") that leftists have been undermining the interests of the United States in the world by trashing their own country, and lending encouragement to our enemies?  If leftists can't wrap themselves in "patriotism, when Obama is accused of doing his best to bring about defeat in Iraq by opposing the troop surge to the very end, and when Harry Reid is accused of undermining our efforts in Iraq--not to mention morale--by saying the war is LOST, how can leftists avoid facing those charges now.

 

It obviously is not going to work to say:  "How DARE you attack our patriotism"?, when "patriotism" is equated with paying taxes.  That just would not make sense.  They may have to come up with a new word.

 

Then there is me.  I had an adjusted gross income last year of $43,000.00 (total gross income of $46,0000).  That was all retirement income.  I paid about $5,000.00 in Federal income tax (I try to block the exact figure out of my mind).  My understanding is that Barack "World" Obama, if elected President, is going to pretty much eliminate my income tax.   He certainly has expressed the intention of pretty much elimination the income tax for the bottom 50% of wage earners and retirees.  Most of that 50% pay no income taxes now, but Obama would solve that problem by giving those people CHECKS. 

 

HOW DARE OBAMA ATTACK MY PATRIOTISM THIS WAY?  Biden has educated me that "patriotism" means paying taxes.  I know he means to apply that to only people who can afford to pay taxes, and maybe I can't, but that is pretty condescending, isn't it? 

 

Biden is saying that only the RICH can prove their patriotism by paying more taxes.  Thus, Biden can show he is patriotic.  Obama (even more than Biden) can show he is patriotic.  But the "middle class", including ME, are left out in the cold.  We can't do ANYTHING to prove our "patriotism".  Obama is going to even take away most of that little bit of patriotic pride I have left by pretty much trying to eliminate my taxes.

 

My self image is really taking hits these days. I have fought feminist ideology most of my life, and now find I am MORE FEMINIST than most leftists.  I gave up my Presbyterian religion at about age 12, and have not been inside a church for the purpose of worship since (although I bow my head in politeness, when I am in church for something else or when people pray--which everyone but the ACLU thinks is mere politeness).  Now I find I am more CHRISTIAN than most leftists.  One person commenting did graciously say that I might be considered and honorary Christian.  See blog entries over the past week, and really the past 3 weeks.

 

NOw I learn I am UNPATRIOTIC, under the standards of Joe Biden, and that Obama wants to take away all or most of what little patriotism I have left.  This self image problem is getting serious.

 

Luckily, my feminist, Eastern lawyer daughters do not face this problem  They are earning something like $165,000.000 a year.  They do, of course, have the problem of that being about what it costs to live in Boston and New York City, where they are.  However, they can at least be patriotic. That leaves them with only ONE problem:  Will Obama and Biden insist that they be SO PATRIOTIC that they have little left of that large salary, for which they are working 60-70 hours per week, with which to pay back their student loans? Biden and Obama need the money to give to people like ME, and others even less patriotic than me. 

 

I wonder.  Will my daughters, and maybe even some of the "unpatritic" people earning less than they do, wake up and realize how unfair this particular idea of "patriotism" is?  Stay tuned.  Loony as he sounds, Biden may be on to something.  Combining bribery and "patriotic" guilt may work.  Then again, maybe it won't.