What’s Better than Spending Your Own Money?

Bill Gates and Warren Buffet recently weighed in on the issue of the Bush tax cuts.  They said that taxes should be raised on rich people like themselves.  This statement is quite interesting.  At first glance, it appears to be a statement about patriotism and generosity–how willing they are to pay more taxes so that we can have a better America.  However, there’s a deeper, and slightly hidden, meaning to these words.

If Gates and Buffet really feel like they’re not paying enough taxes, then they should get out their checkbook and write a big check to the Treasury of the United States (and they should do so without letting the press know about it).  After all, what’s a few hundred million dollars out of a $30 billion fortune?  However, they wouldn’t be satisfied with this, because they’re not really speaking out of patriotism and generosity.  They’re actually speaking out of selfishness and greed (and perhaps guilt, as well).

How can it selfish and greedy to want to pay more taxes?  Well, you see, they know all about how to control money.  Along with their lust for money, they also have a huge lust for power.  It’s not enough for them to be independently wealthy.  It’s not enough to have control over their own money.  As rich as they are, they want more.  They want to have control over other people’s money as well.  They don’t want to just write a check to the IRS.  They want a law that says that other people have to do so as well.  Then they can use their power to influence the way our tax dollars are spent.

Gates and Buffet have egos almost as big as their fortunes, and they are always in desperate need of a challenge–something, or someone, to conquer.  They used to be challenged by gaining wealth and power.  However, they became so wealthy and powerful that these things no longer challenged them.  Then they became challenged by philanthropy (a worthy goal), but they’re so wealthy that even this is no longer challenging.  When people become this wealthy and powerful, it’s probably only natural to progress to the next step.  Now, instead of being satisfied by spending their own fortunes, they want to spend other people’s (tax) money.

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