You, me, Mitt Romney, and Jamie Dimon all are subject to the US tax code. Whatever the law is, if you or I or Mitt follows the law, that’s the end of the story. As it happens, capital gains and dividends are tax favored items. They are taxed at lower rates. Mitt Romney earns most of his income in this category, and thus he pays this lower rate. That’s the end of the discussion.
Now if someone doesn’t like the way the tax code is written, then they can work to get the changes they want implemented. But until they are, they aren’t. The meme that Romney isn’t paying his fair share is an objection to Romney following the law. It makes no sense, it is a polluted and criss-crossed way of thinking. It isn’t anything Mitt Romney has some special deal on. The argument is not one whit different than advocating limits on what you or I should be able to say because the objector doesn’t like the the content. It’s a bogus argument on its face.
Yep.