11-25-2025, 07:03 AM
Big-Number Simplicity
It’s all shockingly simple:
the US spends ten trillion dollars
each year in round numbers
and has one hundred thirty-three million
households, which is more of an
amoeboid number. So,
tax seventy-five thousand
from each household
and we’re done.
Wait, what about corporate profits
or franchise taxes? Or something?
Just to take the pressure off?
Without those, companies can afford
to pay employees high enough
to cover that household poll tax–
as any honest economist
(either one)
will tell you, corporations
don’t pay taxes, only launder them
collected from their customers.
But what about rich people?
Shouldn’t they owe more?
Why? To get butlers, chauffeurs,
and so forth
not to mention workers
at their many concerns
they’ll have to pay enough to cover
that elegant poll tax.
All a Lady Bountiful fallacy,
of course,
not because it wouldn’t work
but because it leaves politicians
nothing to sell. And, then,
how would they pay the poll tax?
Start a war,
probably.
It’s all shockingly simple:
the US spends ten trillion dollars
each year in round numbers
and has one hundred thirty-three million
households, which is more of an
amoeboid number. So,
tax seventy-five thousand
from each household
and we’re done.
Wait, what about corporate profits
or franchise taxes? Or something?
Just to take the pressure off?
Without those, companies can afford
to pay employees high enough
to cover that household poll tax–
as any honest economist
(either one)
will tell you, corporations
don’t pay taxes, only launder them
collected from their customers.
But what about rich people?
Shouldn’t they owe more?
Why? To get butlers, chauffeurs,
and so forth
not to mention workers
at their many concerns
they’ll have to pay enough to cover
that elegant poll tax.
All a Lady Bountiful fallacy,
of course,
not because it wouldn’t work
but because it leaves politicians
nothing to sell. And, then,
how would they pay the poll tax?
Start a war,
probably.
Non-practicing atheist