Robert Reich today:
Regressives sincerely believe the rich will work harder if they have even more, and the poor will work harder if they have even less. I debated a conservative economist yesterday who said unemployment insurance reduced the incentive of the unemployed to look for jobs (even now when three people are out of work for every job that's available) and that the House Republican budget cuts in programs for the poor would motivate them to get out of poverty. But he was equally adamant that the wealthy would work harder if their taxes were reduced, and that even the rather small tax increase enacted in January on the very rich would reduce their motivation. When I pointed out the inconsistency of his positions, he shifted ground, and began fulminating about how the jobless and poor don't "deserve handouts" and the wealthy should be able to "keep their own money." This is a typical regressive ploy. They start with behavioral and psychological arguments about incentives -- the poor need fear, the rich need greed -- but then, when confronted with the contradiction, shift to their moral views about who "deserves" what. Sometimes when I debate regressives I feel as though I'm wrestling greased pigs.
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