By Cal Thomas
Tuesday, January 07, 2014
French President Francois Hollande has been confronted by
the glaring light of reality -- sort of.
On New Year's Day, as his massive tax increases began
taking effect, Hollande, a member of the Socialist Party, admitted that taxes
in France have become "too heavy, much too heavy."
Indeed, as of Jan. 1, French households now must contend
with a new value added tax on many goods and services and, writes International
Business Times, "French companies will be required to pay 50 percent tax
on all employee salaries in excess of 1 million euros. ... The effective tax
rate will amount to 75 percent." Unemployment, which Hollande promised to
reduce, has risen to nearly 11 percent. Some companies and wealthy people have
left France in search of business-friendly environments. More will surely
follow unless Hollande's rhetoric is followed by actual tax reductions.
Hollande's head-on collision with reality is reminiscent
of President Bill Clinton's remarks in 1995 at a campaign fundraiser in
Houston: "Probably there are people in this room still mad at me ...
because you think I raised your taxes too much. It might surprise you to know
that I think I raised them too much, too."
Neither Hollande (so far), nor Clinton, followed up on
their remarks by cutting taxes. Like many other politicians, these men tried to
have it both ways.
The next political leader who will be forced to adjust
his left-wing ideology to reality is the new mayor of New York City, Bill de
Blasio, who has proposed a tax on the wealthy to fund universal pre-K
education. He, too, thinks raising taxes on the successful is the way to
prosperity for the poor. He should pick up the phone and ask Hollande how that
is working for him, as Hollande's approval ratings are sinking faster than
President Obama's. Even better, he might recall Calvin Coolidge's remark:
"Don't expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong."
Penalize success and prosperity and you get less of it.
Subsidize bad decision-making by giving taxpayer money to the poor, and you may
well undermine initiative and personal responsibility and create new
generations of poor people.
The left in America and France have gained political
power by appealing to voters' emotions, but when they achieve power their
ideology harms the very people who voted for them when these well-intentioned
programs prove unworkable. This presents conservatives and Republicans with an
opportunity, as well as risks.
Liberals are allowed to be as ideological as they wish,
and the major media and too many among the unfocused public will mostly support
them. The left is never told they must compromise their ideology when reality
proves them wrong, or "work with Republicans and conservatives" to
achieve common goals. That is the trap liberals set for conservatives, who are
repeatedly told they must compromise their principles if they hope to win
elections, but whose squishy politics then become as unappealing as cold
oatmeal.
Here is the path Republicans and conservatives must take
if they not only want to win, but bring positive change to the country. Instead
of debating feelings and ideology with the left (territory on which they almost
always lose -- recall "compassionate conservative"), conservatives
should hold their opponents accountable. Are their policies producing the
results they claim? Is the record debt good for the country? Are agencies
performing as their charter demands, and should their budgets be reduced or the
agency eliminated if it can't show results? Every government agency and program
should be regularly required to justify, not only its budget, but its very existence.
Americans typically hate waste. It is why as children
most of us were told to clean our plates because somewhere in the world there
were hungry people. Requiring the left to prove their programs and policies are
producing outcomes at reasonable cost would shift the debate from ideology and
good intentions to reality. This is where conservatives have a distinct
advantage if they will embrace it.
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