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Ben Stein's Diary
One of Eight Billion
I cannot countenance raising taxes in the midst of a severe downturn.
Sunday
“Feelings come and feelings go. And feelings are not facts.”
These were words I heard in one of the first 12-step meetings I ever went to. It was at noon Monday through Saturday in a disused junior high school in Point Dume, Malibu. The meeting was called “Spiritual Search,” after one of the 12 steps of the program, actually the eleventh step. I went to that first meeting about 23 years ago. They stunned me with their insightfulness then and now.
Those words have saved me from suicide many a time. In that same room I also heard the saying, “What happens to me is not very important. I am one of eight billion or so people on the planet and what happens to me is not terribly important.”
These thoughts and many other great 12-step thoughts are coming in handy today as I contemplate some mean comments made about me on TV. Here is what happened.
As you all know, I have parted from contemporary GOP orthodoxy innumerable times by calling for higher taxes on the genuinely rich, such as persons making more than $5 million per annum. This has gotten me gentle criticism by the supply-siders, but all within the bounds of decency.
However, I cannot countenance raising taxes in the midst of a severe downturn. Yes, we may have reached the trough, but we still have a long way to go to get back to where we were three years ago. So, why raise taxes? The Obama administration is explicitly for large scale deficit spending in good times and bad, so why raise taxes on anyone and counter the Keynesian deficit spending effect, if there is one? The stated reason is that the rich do not spend much of what they earn, but that’s a laugh riot. The rich spend every cent they earn as far as I can tell, except for the very top of the heap. The great Milton Friedman found that the marginal propensity to consume was consistently 100 percent and if he found that, it’s good enough for me.
Anyway, by general consensus, raising taxes in a slowdown is counter-stimulative, and if you don’t mind deficits (à la Mr. Obama ), then why raise taxes even on the rich? Is it just to punish the rich? And if so, what have the rich done wrong to merit this punishment? They tried to be successful. They employ other people. They give to charity. When did that become a crime?
So, I gave a little, good-natured commentary on this subject on the telly. I added that when good times returned — if they do — probably taxes on the well-to-do should be raised.
It made Bill Maher angry, but then he’s a difficult case always. So, I didn’t worry much about that. Anyway, he’s on HBO, which is a network I don’t watch.
But then this morning, a network with which I have an extremely close connection ran a piece about what a lump of dirt I am, how elitist and unpatriotic and greedy, for not wanting my taxes raised in a recession. It was spoken by an angry woman whom I don’t know, but who works for the Syfy Channel.
“Upset” is far too mild a word to describe how I felt. First, as I tell my readers endlessly, I am NOT rich. I make a good living, but I am not rich. Second, I give away to the less fortunate a truly insanely large part of what I do earn, and I am taxed to death on the rest. Third, while there are millions who are more patriotic than I am, a small bit of research would show I was at least above average in patriotism. Besides, I do not equate patriotism with having my taxes jacked up to pay off public employee unions.
Anyway, I was really upset.
But luckily, I got a lot of supportive mail, and that helped me. Plus, I lay in bed with my Brigid, my rapidly aging German short-haired pointer, and that helped. Finally, I went out and got a huge milkshake and wolfed it down, and that helped a lot.
I also heard in those 12-step rooms long ago that “enemies are often our best teachers…” I have no idea of who that woman is or why she took such a personal tack on a public policy issue. But she did ruin my morning without adding one iota to the debate on fiscal policy. From this, I will try to learn that words can wound, and that I should use them more carefully and more diplomatically, even when provoked. We have been given a great lesson in this world:
About the Author
Ben Stein is a writer, actor, economist, and lawyer living in Beverly Hills and Malibu. He writes “Ben Stein’s Diary” for every issue of The American Spectator.
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Larry Easton| 12.1.10 @ 7:34AM
Always, always ... always a pleasure to read Ben Stein. Only wish his insightful, often poignant and always enjoyable musings might be indulged in daily.
I have a recurring fantasy of happening into Ben when slipping into a Waffle House (a decidedly pedestrian but still, oh so good treat). Ben, if you're reading this I will definitely pick up the tab!
Anyways ... Ben's stuff is a great way to start the morning and throw the day into proper perspective ...
Be
Bob MacDonald | 12.1.10 @ 12:34PM
Ben...have waffles with Larry, he is a close friend of mine...he even knows words that are not in the dictionary, but they are in a thesaurus...how he does that I will never figure out...kinda like the syfi lady, receiving forgiveness, yet never experiencing it...
jharp| 12.1.10 @ 3:37PM
Ben Stein knows nothing.
Watch this and tell me how insightful Ben is.
Peter Schiff Versus Ben Stein - Merrill Lynch was so cheap
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYX1AgEV0vo
God you people are stupid.
jdkchem| 12.1.10 @ 3:52PM
And you're a genius because you voted for the genius in the White House? You're insightful because you posted a link to youtube? What exactly makes you so much smarter than anyone else? What have you actually done other than troll and make snide comments on a website?
dmp| 12.1.10 @ 4:30PM
jharp :
What are you harping about Ben the patriot and real conservative. Take your swearing out of the web. You are not welcome here. Go to where you belong. Maybe you like Obama instead. If you are a patriot and real american, you should not swear and use vile language on internet, because that shows what kind of " ANIMAL " you are. You insulted GOD. You deserved to be punished without mercy.
jharp| 12.1.10 @ 10:46PM
I'll make you ignorant rednecks a deal. Stop e mailing me idiotic posts from Ben Stein and I'll stop commenting on your blog.
Deal?
And one last time. I hope. God you people are stupid.
Majjohn| 12.2.10 @ 3:09AM
If you don't like a particular E mail why do you read it and then complain? Just delete it!
gingdecorgi| 12.2.10 @ 3:59PM
jharp, I'm sorry you're not feeling well. Sounds like you have a really bad headache. Just take a couple of assburns and call your doc in the morning.
Joni| 12.2.10 @ 10:15PM
Just an idea.... if you really don't want the emails, why not just unsubscribe from them? Afterall..... if you are getting them on a regular basis, you must have signed up for them. Just a suggestion..... Have a great evening! :)
David| 12.3.10 @ 7:38PM
I almost like this article until you started your shit.
Jack Hampton| 12.1.10 @ 5:44PM
Jharpy you are so kind. Forgive yourself.
DTucker| 12.1.10 @ 6:16PM
Great Clip... Peter is always right and these clowns just follow the media propaganda. QE1 & QE2 both defaces the dollar and increased the hidden Inflation Tax, supporting the corrupt Federal Reserve .
Donna| 12.2.10 @ 7:39AM
Go back to Huffpo where you belong. You simply missed learning to reason in school and your tripe is annoying. I liked it better when you were not here. You don't like what we write anyway so why? I don’t go to Huffpo and spout your type of insidious comments.
Nobody special| 12.2.10 @ 11:13AM
In fairness, given that jharp is citing Peter Schiff, he is clearly not Huffpo statist / pro^H^H^Hregressive. In fairness the other direction, Ben Stein may be and have been wrong about some things but he still has a lot of valuable insights. Personally, my crystal ball has malfunctioned many times.
William| 12.2.10 @ 10:00AM
Life is short and you spend it by inciting folks and taunting God, which demonstrates the kind of person that you are; shallow, atheist, unkind and without compassion. When your body becomes dust you will be quickly forgotten.
Ben, thanks for being the opposite of this individual.
MacAdams| 12.1.10 @ 4:07PM
I agree with you Larry. I would love to bump into Ben somewhere and have lunch with him, not because he's wealthy or a celebrity, but because he's a man constantly "trying" to live a good life.
Ben, I as probably many others would call you a Minch. Some may think I speaking ill of Mr. Stein, but those who know what this means would agree that it may the highest compliment given to a man. Others can search it out to find out what it means.
Love your Diary Ben.
MacAdams
JCfromDC| 12.1.10 @ 8:51PM
MacA:
I think the word is "Mensch": A person having admirable characteristics, such as fortitude and firmness of purpose: "He radiates the kind of fundamental decency that has a name in Yiddish; he's a mensch"
Marie| 12.2.10 @ 12:43AM
A rose by any other spelling.... I love Ben's sense of humor and savvy.
HA65MPH| 12.2.10 @ 2:06AM
mensch , YES , AND A SWEET MENSCH AT THAT ..!
Alan Brooks| 12.1.10 @ 11:01PM
Ben Stein is an economist?
Since when?
carnot| 12.6.10 @ 10:43AM
typo...your comment should be directed at krugman
Alan Brooks| 12.1.10 @ 11:33PM
Stein talks about himself unendingly.
"I have houses
I am not rich (perhaps he has too much property to take care of?)
I am smart
I am educated
I a think alot of myself
I give to lesser mortals
I write articles
I give speeches
I travel widely
I have children
I have a big wardrobe
I, I,I,I,I,I, I..."
Stein: conceited insult to Judaicism.
Wes Davis| 12.2.10 @ 9:22AM
DITTO!!!
Wes Davis| 12.2.10 @ 9:26AM
I was saying DITTO!!! to Mr. Larry Easton's comment about enjoying Ben IMMENSELY, agree with him almost COMPLETELY, and would buy at Waffle House ANYDAY.
Go Ben Go!
Tom Shire| 12.6.10 @ 2:58AM
I appreciate Mr. Stein's comments regarding rampant anti-intellectualism in American culture and the ultimate luxury of peace and quiet. But his failure to level with his readers when it comes to just how "rich" he isn't, as well as what that "SyFy" woman said, leaves some gaping holes in this opinion piece.
Sometimes there is such a thing as leaving too much to the imagination.
jfscotty| 12.1.10 @ 9:18AM
Ben -
I constantly troll through the Spectator hoping to find a new article from you. I love your stuff - - please stay healthy so I can indulge in your writings for many more years.
If ever you feel shat upon, just wander over to this enormous crowd of people who think you're a great guy. We've got your back.
Jim - Fairport, NY
Al| 12.1.10 @ 9:35AM
Ben, with all due respect, if you're not rich, you're doing something seriously wrong.
David H Dennis | 12.1.10 @ 12:25PM
"Rich" is a relative term. If you read Ben's stuff, you see that he owns a house in Malibu, and I believe a condo in West Hollywood. Unless the Malibu home is in the cheapest 10% of all homes in Malibu, it alone is worth well over US$ 1 million.
He lives a lifestyle associated with frequent air travel and the giving of many speeches, which generally means first class airfare is covered and fairly generous fees are paid.
If he is roughly as prudent as his advice columns, he probably has a net worth in the low millions somewhere, with substantial investments and that Malibu home. Many people, then, would in fact call him rich.
However, he does not think of himself as rich. Why?
This is actually pretty easy to determine, if you consider where he lives and what circles he socializes in. If you were to see his house, I imagine that there is nothing extraordinary about it other than a stunning ocean view. It may even have an old, unremodeled 1950s kitchen dating from when he bought the place. It's still worth an insane amount of money, but that's because he lives in a very desirable part of the world and has little connection with what it actually looks like if you were to visit.
Compare his lifestyle to a Hollywood mogul such as Univision honcho Jerry Perenchio. I suspect Jerry is typical of a lot of people Ben knows. He owns a private jet, rides around in a limo, has a massive payroll of people just to maintain his multi-million dollar estate compound in the Malibu Colony and his other multi-million dollar estate compound in Bel Air. He cuts hundred thousand dollar checks to politicians about as often as you tip a waiter. His net worth is in the billions of dollars.
So compared to ol Jerry there, and lots of other moguls Ben knows, Ben is dirt poor. However, I think Ben is happy and unstressed. There is a big price to owning those estates and private jets - you have to keep things going or die, and that's tough. So I think Ben admires, but does not envy, people like Jerry.
Most average Americans would consider Ben's lifestyle enviable in and of itself. But it is far from rich relative to how big-time Hollywood people live. And interestingly enough, I think he likes it that way.
D
[The author used to live in Los Angeles and spent a lot of time dreaming about how he could possibly ever afford a house in Malibu. He now owns something close to his dream house in South Florida, where home prices are not actually insane. His portrait of Ben's house is a product of his imagination and may be wildly inaccurate, but there are no cheap homes in Malibu - or anywhere else in Southern California, for that matter.]
Jeffrey R. Murphy | 12.1.10 @ 4:01PM
Very well put, Mr. Dennis. I suspect you are more accurate with Mr. Stein's lifestyle than you think. He appears to me to be a humble man who just happens to make a very good living and deservedly so. Thank you for sharing your take on Mr. Stein.
Ralph Novy| 12.1.10 @ 4:26PM
Mr. Dennis:
Well put. Believe you nailed it -- with imagination and without vitriol.
Thank you.
Fare thee well.
Ned the Red| 12.1.10 @ 9:38AM
"So, last night I prayed for that woman from the Syfy Channel, and I sincerely hope it helps her if she needs help or even if it doesn't. I am a total mess as a moral being, but I am always trying to learn."
I find the above helps Ben, but it also helps to just tell the person, or imagine telling the person, to "Eat shit and die."
I apologize for the language but most of these little lines don't work with the guts changed or gone. And I think it is worse to imply rather than writing what you mean.
beebop| 12.4.10 @ 7:35AM
Whether someone likes Ben or not, they have to agree that he makes a daily attempt to live a principled life. Part of that credo must include knowing that by returning anger with anger he is diminished. Your enemy is never more out maneuvered than when you offer a hug.
carnot| 12.6.10 @ 10:45AM
how sweet!
anger can be a great energizer...see Tea Party. The issue is how it is used.
The Big Kahuna| 12.1.10 @ 9:56AM
I always read Ben Stein and would love to get articles by email as advertised on the left of this column. Unfortunately no luck. I cant access the web site.
Peppermint Tea | 12.1.10 @ 10:27AM
Ben, you think the educational system has failed because most of us don't want education or training. Hmmm...makes sense.
Or could it be that public education has made it about teacher tenure and raises, specialists that don't teach, administrators that are in it for the job and "new programs" and not for the students. And parents that really want a 40 hour-per-week babysitter. And the students aren't stupid--they can see all that. Although my five children have all graduated in the top 1% of their high school class, I wonder if I haven't made a mistake by not home-schooling.
Will| 12.2.10 @ 11:32AM
Pepper
I'm sure your children will do fine. Not because they were in the top 1% but were raised, nurtured and taught real life principles by a loving, caring family.
Percentages are no better than the baseline on which they are established and most of our educational systems and administrators have sold our nations youth for a "mess of pottage".
Unfortunately the evidence can be seen all around us.
ari| 12.1.10 @ 11:01AM
What about teachers not teaching? Seriously. I attended a public high school in New Orleans, pre- flood. The English teacher sat at the front of the class and read Shakespeare to the class. Not because he was in love with the language, but b/c no one but me could read. I had just transferred in from another state. The kids could not read. I have no idea why they were there. There was lecturing. I guess that's what they were learning from. Nobody, top to bottom, thought to sit down and force the kids through phonics and then reading. It was in the first round of standards testing. The school would round up the kids from elsewhere, and have us take the standardized tests for the whole school. Really, you have no idea. The math teacher didn't know how to do algebra. I taught the teacher. I'm not a math genius. I was above-ish average at my real high school. Here, I was the Martian from the 25th century, beaming in on futuristic algebra skills. The teachers blamed the kids. The parents weren't ?????I never met a parent who wasn't, ah, broken in some modern fashion- alcoholic, violent, freshly divorced, drug- addled. It was hell on Earth. The kids got the blame. No one taught them to read. The library was locked up. There wasn't any grown-up teaching math. How do you climb out of that dark pit of ignorance?
R Martin| 12.1.10 @ 11:49AM
Shocking stuff, but I bet they are taught self esteem.
bean| 12.1.10 @ 5:36PM
Self Esteem and the women's movement (which always sounds like diarrea (sp?) to me)
Claypoole| 12.1.10 @ 12:28PM
The main problem with K-12 education today is that there is no effective competition. Imagine if most Americans had to buy their PCs from the government. A few, richer families could afford to go to HP, Dell, etc., but the rest of us would just have to take the product government dished out. Oh, and all those government computers would be produced by union techs with the right to strike anytime they were unhappy with the terms of their employment. Just how reliable would those computers be? To the list including, but not limited to, the Postal Service, the War on Drugs, the Great Society/War on Poverty, the IRS, add education. Institute universal vouchers and watch the growth of a golden age in education.
Tina Trent | 12.1.10 @ 5:00PM
Well, Ari, first people have to acknowledge the existence and the actual depth of that pit of ignorance, as you accurately describe it. Because it is both the teachers and the students (or rather their parents) who are the problem.
Vouchers will only do so much because the real problem is deeply broken people in deeply broken communities, and nobody has the nerve to admit how broken they really are. The police know it, which is one reason why police are so reviled by those who choose to ignore or celebrate pathology. Social workers know it -- and you might be surprised to know how many social workers are secretly far more conservative than even the most right-wing pundit -- because they despair of protecting their charges.
When I lived in Atlanta, I encountered many, many families (that is, moms and children), who were walking embodiments of profound social dysfunction. And nobody wants to say this is so. Conservatives pretend that vouchers are some magic wand, while liberals insist that all that these people need is another jobs program to address economic inequity (the money for which, of course, will end up nestled moistly in the pockets of race-hustling politicians).
Nobody wants to admit that the only real solution for repairing forty years of blood-drenched ghettoization of large swaths of fellow citizens is to treat the situation like a real emergency: for example, cut off all housing options except supervised dormitories for those who do not identify the fathers of their children while arresting those fathers who have abandoned their children (as we arrest custodial parents, mostly mothers), then give those fathers the choice to live in dormitories while working or go to prison for child abandonment. No more Section 8, a growing program; no more letting all the fathers off free; no more multi-generational parties subsidized by the people next door who watch their property values drop while they're paying the rent of the people destroying those property values.
Everything else, including vouchers, is generally ineffectual triage.
And that solution, I heard from a social worker.
Harsh? Sure. But nowhere near as harsh as leaving children in places where people put metal bars over their doors so nobody can kick them in at night, or sending them to schools that are not really schools.
I've watched several liberal friends try to "teach" in schools like the one you describe. And they walked away shell-shocked while still refusing to acknowledge that there is something horribly wrong when you have to call for security not once, but repeatedly, to get through a week, or when you hear about one former student after another getting arrested for shooting or raping or robbing someone, or getting killed, or just landing in prison, if he's lucky.
We accept all of this, or wallow in it curled up on the sofa watching The Wire while bitching about heartless Republicans . . . or Republicans pretend vouchers will fix things. No matter the flavor of our justifications, we all look away.
It troubles me most when conservatives gloss over these facts. I know why liberals do it, but they are hopeless. When the conservative counter-offer is criticism of the teacher's union, or vouchers, they're missing the main point.
Prof G| 12.1.10 @ 7:50PM
Even in the schools where students actually are distinguishable from the county jail population, intellectual excellence is rarely the highest value. Here in Texas, the public high schools would rather have a winning football team than a 1300 average SAT. Among my best students, the home schooled are greatly over-represented.
Poppakap| 12.1.10 @ 8:14PM
Prof G,
As another high school teacher in Texas (south Texas at that), I fully concur with your observation. What I find most shocking is how low expectations are for student performance among the administrators of my school and district. I've been repeatedly told that because students come from low-income homes, we shouldn't expect them to prioritize education because they are too busy working to support their indigent parent(s). As if continuing the cycle was somehow a solution to the problem...
I disagreed much with former president Bush's (W) policies, but I do agree with him wholeheartedly about the incredible damage produced by "the subtle racism of low expectations." I see it on a daily basis. The net result is a student population that knows they have to do very little work in order to pass (70 % or greater) any given class (the AP courses being the lone exceptions).
Doug| 12.1.10 @ 11:51AM
Ben,
Here's something I read that is like the 12 steps you mentiond: If you truly forgive someone you remove from them their power to hurt you.
Works for me. :)
Ralph Novy| 12.1.10 @ 4:18PM
What a warped, nasty interpretation.
Do you have ANY idea of what true (unconditional) forgiveness is?
I think not.
You're doing a fucking selfish cost-benefit analysis.
Do you work for an insurance company perchance?
bean| 12.1.10 @ 5:39PM
Wow, settle down Mr Novy. Meds may be needed here.
Charie| 12.1.10 @ 6:03PM
****Well put. Believe you nailed it -- with imagination and without vitriol.****
You'd do well to follow your own dictate.
Thom Burke| 12.2.10 @ 9:25AM
Whovever said, "profanity is an attempt by the weak minded to express himself forcefully"? Seems to to be applicable Novy's case.
Eric Cartman| 12.1.10 @ 12:05PM
Well, Ben, I can tell you what happened. When I hear Liberals say raise taxes on the rich, I blow them off as just Socialist twits who have no idea how anything works and its maddening that they even are given TV time to spread their garbage.
When I hear you say raise taxes on the rich, I stop and listen because there has to be something more to it. There is deeper thought going into what you are saying. The woman must not appreciate the difference, so do yourself a favor and ignore it (her).
I would love to raise more taxes from the rich . . . by making them richer. And the people who work for them, richer, and under those people, richer, etc. Pretty soon, you have a rich society producing value and not a bunch of leaches demanding free education benefits to get a Masters in Womyn's studies (which is one reason our schools are failing society - they teach how to tear it down, not build it up. So, really, they aren't failing at all, they are wildly successful). Maybe your gal pal from the SYFY channel has one ;-)
Ralph Novy| 12.1.10 @ 4:15PM
"... [but] when I hear you say raise taxes on the rich...."
In other words, you're too stupid to do the math for yourself; you rely upon celebrities to do it for you.
Brilliant, dude.
Eric Cartman| 12.1.10 @ 5:43PM
In other words, you're such a dumbass you don't know that Ben is an economist with a decent background in government. See. asswipe? He is worth a listen. Some other dumbasses, like a Ralph Novy, aren't worth the energy it takes to wipe them off your shoe when you step in him - but ya do anyway because he stinks. So ya find some Obama paper and clean off the Novy so ya don't go around stinking up the place. You can't figure that out? What an Ahole!
Poppakap| 12.1.10 @ 8:19PM
What a vile little mean-spririted troll. It's patently obvious he didn't read the article and only comments on comments because it allows him the satisfaction of insulting someone without their being able to respond face-to-face. Methinks a more fitting term for him is coward.
Pete| 12.2.10 @ 3:28PM
Ralph, Take a vacation
beebop| 12.1.10 @ 12:18PM
Bill Maher is an incorrigible bigot who hasn't entertained a new thought in years. I wouldn't give him the time of day.
As for the critic from Syfy .... why is it that those without always feel an entitlement (sans labor or sacrifice) to the goodies EARNED by the haves?
Over it.
Oldefarte| 12.1.10 @ 2:59PM
I agree with Beuler....Beuler Ben in that no taxes should be increased in this recession/depression; but I disagree with him in that no one's taxes SHOULD EVER BE RAISED, IN BOAD TIMES OR IN GOOD. This idea/philosophy now prevalent concerning the morality of the tax issue is simply insane and stupid. Taxes are TAXPAYERS' MONEY, not the government's; and this liberal BS about it's someone's moral duty to pay taxes is ludicrous. Taxpayers earned their income, not the government, and they are morally entitled to keep same. To support government's collective basic efforts at things such as national defense etc is in the taxpayers' best interests; but government's evolved extortion of taxpayer's incomes to pay for such things as welfare, foreign aid, farm aid, excessive military hardware [all welfare of sorts] do not fit that basic goal of government and should not be funded. That socialistic Democrats have forced legislation of welfarecare and non stimulus [that funds welfare of maintaining teachers' and unionized governmental workers jobs], and then declare the moral imperative of raising taxes to pay for same is well beyond sanity!!!!!
Scott| 12.1.10 @ 3:30PM
Go look at the Federal budget. The main things the gov't pays for is Defense, SS, Medicare and Interest. You can get rid of everything else and you still have long-term structural deficits.
Poppakap| 12.1.10 @ 8:23PM
Perhaps, but that doesn't change the fact that government money is our money, not vice-versa. Your point about long-term structural deficits still existing after excluding the items you mention only reinforces the sentiment expressed by the gentleman to whom you responded.
jharp| 12.1.10 @ 3:32PM
Hi Ben,
Tell us again about the investment bank stocks being such a good buy pre hundreds of billions in bailouts.
You have as much credibility as a tree stump.
God you people are stupid.
jdkchem| 12.1.10 @ 3:58PM
Typical liberal nobody. Lump everything into one group because they have absolutely no critical thinking ability. Then comment on credibility.
God ewe people are stupid.
Poppakap| 12.1.10 @ 8:27PM
Your name is appropo; a harp is as a harp does.
...and flinging ad-hominem commentary is any smarter?
allie | 12.1.10 @ 3:33PM
Uncle Ben (that's what you have been to me for decades, in spirit)...I love you for being such a mensch.
Happy Hanukkah!
Kevin Gutzman | 12.1.10 @ 3:36PM
If you have "long-term structural deficits," you have to reconsider some of your long-term structural spending. I nominate the empire.
mclindy | 12.1.10 @ 3:41PM
Thank you for writing, Ben. Keep on keeping on.
Gayle Miller | 12.1.10 @ 3:41PM
For those of you who seem to have not understood Ben's column, he wasn't objecting to paying taxes, nor was he claiming poverty. But he did indulge in a small spot of moral equivalency and to this, I believe he is entitled. He also works his tush off and if I were young enough, and still as attractive as I once was, I'd offer to have his baby - - knowing full well that it had a doggone good chance of being intelligent, witty and wise! And cute as a button!
Ralph Novy| 12.1.10 @ 4:07PM
"... a small spot of moral equivalency...."
Do you know what that means?
I know you don't, because nobody knows what that means.
Nobody knows what it means because it doesn't mean anything.
Think before you write.
bean| 12.1.10 @ 5:41PM
Again with the nastiness to a stranger posting a very nice comment. What is wrong with you man?
Martin Treptow| 12.1.10 @ 7:03PM
bean,
The Left is angrier than it ever has been. I see it everywhere, on message boards such as these. You should see it on the Liberal sites, where 90% of the posters are Leftys, where most every post reads like Ralph Novy's.
You see, everything was going great for The Left. After eight years of incessant raging at him, they managed to drum W. out of office with sagging approval ratings (mostly by refusing to let politics stop at the water's edge for about seven of his eight years). And then... voila! The huddled masses are presented with a savior, a "post-racial" African-American who poses as a centrist (a Liberal presidential candidate's favorite game) and claims the center with promises ranging from "Hope" to "Change". Ultimate Victory was in sight for The Left...
But then...
It turns out that the One that they pushed all their chips into the middle of the table for, the One who is "the one that we've been waiting for"... it turns out that he is a mediocre governor at best , not a very good manager of situations and/or people, and an off-putting, arrogant elitist, to boot.
Plus, he is an ideologue. He is a statist, probably a Socialist. He revealed his true colors only to be reminded on this November 2 that this is a center-right Nation...again.
Now, here's where it gets better... President Obama has awakened a grassroots movement of people that never got "involved" in a "movement" in their lives. It's just like the 1960's, except these people have jobs and are, for the most part, sober. But they are engaged, and that terrifies The Left.
Oh, and one more thing...
They're right.
They're right on the issues.
This government has tried the last best lurch to the Left, the Great Leap Leftward. Problem is, the farther you stretch the rubberband, the more swiftly and powerfully it snaps back. This center-right Nation has been fooled for the last time. Do you notice how the Tea Party isn't talking about undoing only the excesses of the Obama Administration and the Pelosi-Reid led Congress? They're talking about undoing the grotesque inhumanity of The Great Society, which only accomplished the destruction of the African-American family and the creation of a culture of dependency. They are also talking about undoing the crpto-Marxist overreach of The New Deal, the biggest government boondoggle of them all, and was the beginning of the Leftward swing that now deposits us here.
Say what you want about him, Newt Gingrich is right: This sh*t started in 1932, and it's way past time it was stopped... and reversed.
After we're done with that, then it's on to 1913 and the repeal of the 16th Amendement and the installation of the Fair Tax.
The Left now knows that all this is inevitable. They've been found out. Their gut-string is busted. It's all over now, Baby Blue.
And to Mr. Novy:
Troll.
Fail.
Cheers!
Poppakap| 12.1.10 @ 8:31PM
Actually, genius, many people know what it means. The only ones who don't are those who make equivalency of everything a daily practice.
Now go take your meds and rest before you hurt yourself.
jdkchem| 12.1.10 @ 4:02PM
So we have Bill Maher whose sole contribution to entertainment was an incredibly awful Sci-Fi film followed by a harpy on a channel that used to have Sci-Fi program but now prefers professional wrestling and professional ghost busters.
Ralph Novy| 12.1.10 @ 4:03PM
The "great" Milton Friedman, eh?
Only $5M+ = "rich," eh?
Friedman was a "poison dwarf" of plutocratic economics.
$5M as a threshold for "rich" is as obscenely insulting as John Thane's if-you-can't-wait-for-it-to-trickle down,-suck-on-this $87K carpet.
Go suck your thumb on some Malibu beach -- in solitude -- and spare us any more of your "wisdom," pal.
Tim the Enchanter| 12.1.10 @ 4:33PM
Ralph: you have some serious anger and envy issues. You need some prayers, pal. I'll help contribute.
Pat| 12.1.10 @ 4:08PM
Ben, you are widely loved. The lefty's hate all the conservatives (especially the smart ones who can articulate well - as you do - and yet call us haters and say stupid things all the time - like Capitalism doesn't work ignoring our great history and the current state of affairs in long Socialist Europe.
The reason the education system and much our political system has gone down the tubes can be wrapped up in "When a Nation Forgets God" - which is an excellent small book by Irwin Lutzer and gives us many parallels of Germany's history in the 30's to current events. Every American should read it; it can be ordered on line.
Red Crane| 12.1.10 @ 4:26PM
"enemies are often our best teachers..." This is a true saying although it is the first time I have heard it. I would like to add to it the commitment "if we learn from the experience"
Vienna| 12.1.10 @ 4:35PM
Ben is one of the most patriotic kind people I have ever been blessed to meet. His humble attitude towards "ordinary people" is shocking. The lady from syfy obviously has issues that stem a lot further than simply taxes. CBS should be ashamed for stabbing him in the back.
UnRiel| 12.1.10 @ 4:39PM
Ben is a true intellectual and as much as I respect him, the country has no use for Conservatives intellectuals at the present time. His concession to Milton Friedman on one hand and then his allowance that there are super rich that can be more heavily taxed on the other; as a conversation, one can agree with Ben and Warren Buffett that Warren, Bill Gates and George Soros can afford to pay more taxes. But the issue is tax policy and you cannot focus tax policy like a laser pointed only at that super rich fraction of 1%. The problem is spending and public sector growth, not tax receipts. Ben should recognize that his conversations are considered policy recommendations. Like many intellectuals, he seems to be incapable of knowing what opinions are best kept to oneself. Perhaps that is the lesson he can learn from an enemy.
Ben should also consider that if education is failing, it may be the central planning public school formula that is at fault. Private schools have more incentive to motivate their students; public schools only incentive is to fill seats and pass students on.
chukker| 12.1.10 @ 4:58PM
Hey Ben, when you favor playing the class- warfare card, then everything becomes relative.
You stated, "I have parted from contemporary GOP orthodoxy innumerable times by calling for higher taxes on the genuinely rich, such as persons making more than $5 million per annum."
This SyFy critic opined about "what a lump of dirt [you are], how elitist and unpatriotic and greedy, for not wanting [your] taxes raised in a recession."
Perhaps YOU are filthy rich to a majority of Americans depite your protests to the contrary. And these same people believe that YOU deserve higher taxes. Doesn't feel very good when the target is you, does it?
This is the grave danger in your position that one group ought to carry a higher tax burden than another group: someone has to define what is rich and that income number is arbitrary and relative. It's a moving target, as we have seen.
We are Americans. We ought all to be treated equally. No group ought to be targeted by the masses to have their pockets picked for no other reason than they are successful. No policy can work when, on its face, it violates two of the ten commandments: thou shalt not steal and thou shalt not covet, as well as the Golden Rule.
We need to go back to the days when the wealthy were admired, not besmirched and preyed upon.
In America, there are no classes. No American is condemned to remain poor if he is born poor. We have a dynamic system where the poor can become rich and the rich can become poor.
We need to stop perpetuating the class-warfare, progressive income tax nonsense because we are America, not the inert losers of Europe, et al.
Charie| 12.1.10 @ 6:13PM
Good post, chukker. I'm way down on the wealth totem pole, but I still think those who are intelligent enough, hard-workiing enough or talented enough should be able to make as much money as they want. They should also be able to be as charitable as they want. I say this somewhat shamefacedly because when I read that Al Gore charitably donated $300 for one year I laughed until I had a Depends moment. Then I remembered M. Thatcher's quote about Socialists running out of other people's money. I stopped laughing.
JP| 12.1.10 @ 5:02PM
When one is running deficits of $1.3 trillion per anum it matters not what the "rich" can afford. There is simply not enough wealth in this nation to cover annual defecits of +$1 trillion. Period.
If one was to liqudate the assets of the wealthiest 100 Americans, and use those assets to cover federal spending, the defecit would go down by a paltry $250 billion -and that is a one time pay out. The point is moot.
The issue at hand isn't redistribution. God knows we already have that in spades. The issue is reeling in federal spending, not dumpster diving for revenue. The Democrats will never, ever even consider lowering the rate of increase (too late for that, anyway) let alone reducing spending. Their entire reason d'etre is government, government, and more government. They are the party by for and of the government. Period. They tolerate the private sector only because its ability to generate tax revenues that can be redistributed. Of course one needs earned income first in order to generate tax revenue. And none of the millions who work in or support the public sector (and they are legion) know anything about how to generate earned income, much less unearned income.
That is the problem. And that is why this nation is really in deep, deep trouble.
Tom Beebe| 12.1.10 @ 8:03PM
Right on ! All government economic policy should be directed at increasing the creation of wealth, leaving it's distribution to a market system which, imperfectly, will distribute that wealth in proportion to each person's production thereof. I wonder what I'll be called for that statement! But will those who disagree describe a better system? And, let's tax everybody's DISPOSABLE income at the same rate. Anything more fair than that? The next stone thrown at these comments will be from one who thinks I give too little to the poor. A great prophet once said a rich man could not enter heaven without giving to the poor. But, pray tell, when did HE say that Rome (government) should give to the poor?
Cheryl| 12.1.10 @ 5:07PM
Thank you for such a wonderful column today! I especially appreciated the opening line ("Feelings come and feelings go. And feelings are not facts") and your response to the woman who maligned you on SyFy - what a great way to start December and what great things to remember as we approach this season.
Largebill | 12.1.10 @ 5:11PM
Ben,
You seem like a sincerely decent man and I've enjoyed your work in various venues over the years. I'm sure your heart is in the right place whether you are right or even if you mistakenly disagree with me. I do have a little difficultly reconciling your call now for higher taxes with your plea a week ago to dismiss charges against a notorious tax cheat. Charlie Rangel has been a serial tax cheat for decades and you said on CBS it should be forgotten since he was in the military 50 some years ago. Pete Rose went to prison for less tax offenses than that crook Rangle. While ignorance is no excuse, Rose was just a drop out ball player. Rangle actually served on and later chaired the Ways and Means committee that writes out despicable tax code.
Regardless, don't let people (myself included) get you down. It is the nature of life and politics that we will not always agree. However, let's strive to be agreeable about our disagreements.
Take care,
Bill
PS: Happy Hanukkah
Tom beebe| 12.1.10 @ 8:08PM
Shouldn't those elected to higher office be held to a higher standard? They take oaths to serve; when caught stealing, shouldn't their punishment be more severe? Who is the greater criminal, he who bribes an elected official or that official?
Blessedone333| 12.1.10 @ 5:55PM
Ben I'm not sure if you are born again or dismiss Jesus as your savior but the truth you posted
Matthew 5:44
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
IS THE WORD OF GOD! spoken by Jesus himself - who is the Word of God!
their ignorance will not stand the test of time and their foolishness will be revealed
your desire for truth will live well past them
Huldah1776| 12.1.10 @ 5:59PM
Ben, thank you so much for your insight. I just read about the high suicide rate of our female veterans. I was hoping that they would read your work, find a 12 step program, and laugh again. When we are in the next kingdom, come for dinner. :)
Charie| 12.1.10 @ 6:20PM
I was fortunate enough to be invited to a small dinner (approx. 20 people) which was given for Mr. Stein because he was a speaker sponsored by a College Republican group. He went around the table and asked each young person there about his/her (mostly his) college choices and future plans. He gave every evidence of being interested and even asked further questions of some of the C.R.s. He didn't ask me about my future plans because I'm older than dinosaur dirt but he complimented the campus, the town (small city) and was as ordinary as could be. I was impressed.
Ruffian| 12.1.10 @ 6:32PM
Ben,
I try to read everything you write. You are spot on about education, because it is not valued any more by our nation.
Who defines rich, may I say it should not be the Feds? I do not feel rich, but Obama thinks I am.
The demos want the average person to live uneducated and poor. It's there electorate base.
Matthew Cook | 12.1.10 @ 7:11PM
Mr. Stein - supposedly W never watched the news or paid much attention to what people wrote in papers or on blogs, which may be why he never seemed overly ruffled (Bush-haters; please refrain from suggesting other reasons). This I believe is a good way to keep one's head about him, and might be useful for you, if uber-critical attacks leave you unbalanced.
GregA| 12.1.10 @ 7:32PM
Matthew, good point and good advice. I loved W's response to Jay Leno the other week when Jay asked him if jokes about him, a lot of them on The Tonight Show, bothered him. "To tell you the truth, Jay, I was in bed." That was a great deflection and humorous put-down.
GregA| 12.1.10 @ 7:31PM
The mediot works for the SyFy Channel? Say no more.
konastephen| 12.1.10 @ 8:06PM
Ben's a good guy. I'll always love him most for Expelled!
This piece was a timely reminder to me. I was perusing my record of commenting in the past year at the WaPo and I realized how sarcastic and mean I've been. I've seriously snubbed all establishment newsmedia, Democrats, socialists (of course) and even progressives. I've made rudely truthful remarks about the current federal administration (or at least the historical accident that runs it and all his friends, associates, cohorts, cronies and choirboys). I've indulged in angry self-defense by pointing out logical inconsistencies and excoriating all sorts of fallacious reasoning without pity.
I am ashamed. Ben, if you were a priest in the church of fair debate and right thinking, I'd come to you in private for confession. As it is, I'm just going to have to settle for this public self-abnegation. Mea culpa! Mea culpa!
I will henceforth strive to be more forgiving since truly, what better use is there of my time?
Uh, yeah. Anyways, I don't get why it would be a good idea to raise taxes on the "really" rich. I forgot you're a monetarist. Forget that Friedman crap. He's good as far as he goes but that's only as far as tinkering with the money supply. It's bollocks, Ben. Value in contracts might be subjective but fairness isn't. Weights and measures should be the same for everyone. You should know that. God's not a supply sider. He's not a monetarist at all. He's well and truly von Misean.
Becky| 12.1.10 @ 9:41PM
Ben, you lovely man, don't ever stop writing, please:) You are just delightful, don't let the haters get you down, they are unhappy people, you inspire me always,thank you for the light you share.
jgreene| 12.1.10 @ 10:28PM
Ben, you have friends and admirers all about you. Never allow unfounded criticism to get you down.
shipley130| 12.2.10 @ 12:20AM
People's comments come and go. No sense in getting worked up by them. I'm just a retired military person out there in the blogoshere writing my opinion on news websites and I have had some fairly nasty replies, but that is the way it goes. All I can say is one has to stand by their beliefs (hopefully with some knowledge to back it up). Don't worry Mr. Stein, we have Buehler, Buehler, Buehler and that makes you endeared in the eyes of the X generation! I LOVE to see you on the news shows. I appreciate your knowledge.
shipley130| 12.2.10 @ 12:24AM
One more thing. The facts behind the feelings are true. We all need to work on the facts to justify the feelings.
Professor Terry J. Lovell, PhD| 12.2.10 @ 2:10AM
Dear Ben:
You are a true hero of mine! Your father gave great advice and service to our country with his economic wit and wisdom. You have delivered valuable political, economic and spiritual insights that have helped me and my students for decades. Your wonderful personal performances in numerous dramas have been a constant comfort to me and my family.
The knowledge that you are tucked away peacefully and happily in Idaho lends a soothing happiness to many of my difficult days. I often think, when the politics at my little college get ugly, “I wonder if Ben is driving along Coeur d’Alene Lake right now? Or possible driving to Lake Pend Oreille?” The knowledge that you have built a wonderful and unique career on both your talent and your intellect give me hope for our country. It may sound insane, but I think of you as my friend and advisor and I look forward to hearing your sound advice and good counsel on the many venues you so honorably serve.
One of my teachers (a GREAT JESUIT) once told me that I always had permission to tell any irritating person that I would not play their sick game. He taught me the phrase “Illegitimi non carborundum” which he said roughly translates to “Don’t let the BASTARDS grind you down…EVER!” I to go to those wonderful 12 step meetings and they have saved me, many times. I urge you to adopt the full Illegitimi non carborundum approach and ignore those mean spirited and uninformed BASTARDS who would say unkind things about a good man like you.
Ben you remain my good friend and I look forward to the next time I will be treated to you wit and wisdom on the TV. In the meantime to HELL with those folks who would say untrue and unkind things about a great American like you!
Be well and Be Happy! Enjoy this wonderful season of JOY and REDEMPTION!
Your Pal
Terry
P.S. I still show your Dad advising the President of the United States on matters Financial and Economic on my classic Economics U$A videos-his advice is still sound and he always comes across as such a fine gentleman. You had a great DAD!
God bless you and yours!
RGHarris| 12.2.10 @ 1:48PM
Does anyone, any group, any organization, (that is NOT supportive of the political Left), ever notice how quickly Leftist and )))leftist Media((( jump-up, in a chorus, to shout and point at their opponents expressions or displays of “ANGER” ? (Note: ‘Opponents’- are defined as ‘any viewpoint or thoughts that ‘Do Not’ blindly support & champion the advancement of leftwing, Marxist, socialist, and their ideologies).
There are indeed from time to time angry outbursts from both the political Left and the Right. The pattern in how they each are dealt with is (by) now hard cast and indisputable.
When the assailant - as is happens most often - from the Leftist camp; there comes )))Big Media((( with the recurrent (excusatory) explanations – the ‘dismissive grins’ and chuckles - and the contrived wave of mass-opinion ‘downplay’.
Contrasting the preceding scene against )))Big Media((( reaction to Rightwing foibles and incidents immediately become remolded into universally darker, more foreboding expression’s and subjective analysis - with growing distortions of the ‘hateful” events over time.
In my younger years, late thirties, when I sensed myself being drawn away from the political Left, and more connected to the Right: I look back now and I can see so clearly that an important factor in my inner movement away from the center-left; was imposed by my (personal mental) accounts over years of a growing and ominous imbalance in television and printed News reporting, TV programming themes, Education programs and their centralized urban-leftist messaging – and all this was being actively engaged in the ‘Blind Silence of Broad Daylight’!?! -(and where were the Republicans then???)
While)))Big Media((( clacked and clambered on with its quiet agenda and National Education engaged the same method of operation, down the Left fork in the road, I first thought to myself; “well, if all these institutions are onboard for it” maybe it’s Gonna be something good”? Then, (after Jimmy Carter), I snapped out of it!
Wait a minute! THINK! Where have all the “public introduction” and Town Hall meeting to discuss this “New Direction” taken place - for the ‘EIGHTY plus’ years these underground plans have been cultured and expanded – with no public introduction – no public announcement – no public forums – no open debate – no academic scrutiny before the public – and NO prominent)))Media((( discussions, or publicity!
All together, this state of affairs clearly spelled out: “Propaganda + Indoctrination”. Aka The dumbing-down of America. That is when I made the responsible decision to part with the political Left!
“All of You- must be - and will be - held accountable for the decisions and choices you make in your lives. Choose responsibly, choose wisely my friend.
R.G. Harris
12/2/10