The email to my syndicated column address (Jonahscolumn@aol.com) always has so much more vituperative stuff in it. Here’s one from my column about taxes from earlier in the week (asterisks mine):
Dear Jonah, You are not against covetousness or extortion. The basis of capitalism IS covetousness – i.e. the accumulation of capital, making others’ capital ones own. Indeed, covetousness is what produced the wealthy class you recently defended. As for extortion, you oppose only extortion directed at the wealthy. Obviously, the wealthy make sure – in a myriad of ways, one of which includes supporting propagandists like you – that they are supported by the “rules.” This legal extortion is so large that it’s essentially invisible. “Extortion” aimed at the rich is a man-bites-dog story. On the other hand, it’s taken for granted – the conventional wisdom – that the nature of rich curs is to chew on humanity. You, of course, already know all this; unless, in addition to being an a**hole, you are a moron as well.
It’s also amazing how many readers hide behind Warren Buffet and then scream that I’m a moron, a liar, a greedy pig or some such. I sometimes wonder if I find a billionaire who agrees with me, does that mean it’s a tie? Reading my email you’d think that there are millions of hedge fund managers out there laughing at the rubes for not taxing them more. And one gets the sense that even if raising taxes for people who live off dividends would be bad for the larger economy and maybe even hurt the pocketbooks of my angry readers themselves, it wouldn’t matter because, gosh darn it, those rich guys are the problem. I’ll be damned if they get two mules if I can only have one!