Sensible and stupid left-wing views on economics

[Donald Ian Rankin]

Wanting to tax the rich more to pay for better public services because you are in favour of better public services is sensible.

Wanting to tax the rich more to pay for better public services because you are against the rich is stupid.

[peacebird]

1. Seems a silly strawman type post..... Perhaps i am missing your point?

[Donald Ian Rankin]

2. I have seen both sorts of opinions expressed on DU,

The latter more regularly than one might expect or wish.

My point is this: that the rich having less money is a bad thing. It's a price worth paying for the state having more money to spend on other things, but far too many DUers see "reducing inequality" as an end in itself, rather than as a means to making the poor less poor, and see making the rich less rich as a good thing in itself, rather than as a necessary evil.

[trumad]

3. So you're sort of a voodoo economics type of guy, eh?

[Donald Ian Rankin]

4. ...where did that come from?

"Voodoo economics", as I understand it, refers to the Reagonomic idea that tax cuts for the rich would grow the economy enough to benefit the poor more than the associated reduction in government spending power would harm them.

I've made my views on economics clear in this thread:

>Wanting to tax the rich more to pay for better public services because you are in favour of better public services is sensible.

So that puts me in pretty much the diametrically opposite corner to Reagonomics - Reagan wanted reduced taxation and spending, I want increased taxation and spending.

In light of that, your question/accusation strikes me as bizarre and not a little insulting, to be honest - you're suggesting I believe the exact opposite of something I've explicitly said.