For whatever reason, people seem to have difficulty understanding what it means if we keep the Bush tax cuts for the rich. I could give you lots of boring numbers, but maybe this will drive the point home for you:
J.D. Drew takes another strike three
If the Bush tax cuts for the rich are retained, J.D. Drew, Boston Red Sox outfielder, will keep an extra $644,000 in 2011.
J.D. Drew hit .255 with 22 home runs and 68 RBI in 2010. Not bad, but nothing exceptional. He will make $14,000,000 in 2011, money that comes from the fans’ pockets via ticket sales, TV subscriptions, $8 beers, and the like. Maybe, just maybe, he can afford to give some of that back.
Of course, the number isn’t exactly $644,000. Some of Drew’s salary is deferred, he certainly has some deductions, and a tiny portion of his income isn’t taxed at the top rate. For those who are wondering, that top rate is currently 35%, and was 39.6% in 2000.
Let’s see, he already pays around $4.9 million per year in taxes. Thus he’s carrying the weight of hundreds of regular families. If people *really* understood the situation, instead of complaining and demanding an additional $644k from this guy they would be thanking him profusely for what they’re already taking.