As many of you know by now, I often listen to WTOP, a news radio station here in the area. It isn't a talk radio station, so I find it to be refreshing when I just want to listen to news. They do however have a few spots on different days to provide commentary and analysis from, as they put it "All Sides" meaning left and right, conservative and liberal. For the most part, it is winger-free. Yesterday, however, one commentator I heard just really rubbed me the wrong way. It was from Chris Core, who I have come to respect, despite his conservative leanings. His commentary is in a segment called Core Values. Please take a minute to listen to his segment from yesterday.
Click here for the MP3 It's 1:07 in time, and it's important to what I am going to say today.

Yes you heard that right. He is ashamed that 78% of Americans want to see the rich taxed more, because as he seems to think, no one wants to participate in Shared Sacrifice. Well I have news for Mr. Core, at LEAST 78% of Americans are the very people who are sacrificing while people like Donald Trump and the uber wealthy are sacrificing nothing at all. As I wrote on Monday: What struck me about the commentary is something I see from many conservatives. I'm not talking about power players, I am talking about the average person on the street. They tend to defend the tax policies that we have in place with a mindset that they may one day be one of those people earning over 250,000 dollars. They are fighting to protect something they hope to become, but - in looking at the odds - isn't likely to happen. Not with the policies that have been put in place over the last 30 years.
It's terribly misplaced thinking. I don't begrudge anyone for wanting to be wealthy, rich and well-off. But right now, this idea of shared sacrifice is NOT balanced. We clearly have a problem when a janitor has a higher tax rate than a CEO. Via Mother Jones: As Mr. Core states, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and Defense are "where the money is". He's wrong. With the exception of Defense, these programs are those that provide a social safety for the very Americans he says he's embarrassed about. This is NOT where the money is. The Money is here:
The assumption that Americans want someone else to make the sacrifice is wrong. Most Americans already have been making sacrifices. I generally like Mr. Core, although I rarely agree with him, but this particular case of ignoring pertinent facts is aggravating..

Last Sunday, E.J. Dionne nailed it perfectly in his WaPo op-ed column: That idea of shared sacrifice went out the window 30 years ago. What Americans want is for the very rich to do THIER part and be Americans. I am far less concerned about the deficit as I am about making sure our nation takes care of its people. It is time for wealthiest among us to pay a fair share, It is time to stop forcing the middle and lower class to bear the economic burden in this nation.

There's plenty of Shared Sacrifice in America, it just that the richest Americans aren't doing ANY of it. This is from 2006: It shows how the poor get poorer.

Conservatives like Mr. Core seem to feel that by making an issue an either/or concept, they will win the debate. That tends to be intellectually dishonest, such as the one he put forth in his statement. When people believe in things against their own best interest, we all suffer, Perhaps that is the problem with conservative ideology in this day and age. We are all entitled to our own opinion, but we are not entitled to our own facts.

and
Raine