THE LIE THAT’S CRUSHING AMERICA
If you believe taxing the rich will solve our country’s problems,
you’ve bought the lie.
And it’s not hurting the rich—it’s destroying everyone else.
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“If your real goal is to hurt the rich, you’re hurting everyone else more.”
Because the rich don’t get stuck—they just move, adapt, and restructure.
The middle class gets crushed in the fallout.
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Here’s what really happens when you “tax the rich”:
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1. The Rich Leave — And They Take the Economy With Them
When taxes get too high, the wealthy don’t just grumble—they relocate.
And when they go, they take everything with them: companies, jobs, investment capital, and future tax revenue.
• Elon Musk moved Tesla and SpaceX from California to Texas.
• Jeff Bezos (Amazon) relocated to Florida in 2024, potentially avoiding hundreds of millions in capital gains tax.
• Ken Griffin (Citadel hedge fund) moved from Chicago to Miami, taking billions in assets.
• Oracle, Charles Schwab, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise also left California.
Missouri, meanwhile, has been reducing its top income tax rate from 5.3% to 4.7%, with plans to go lower—encouraging people to stay, invest, and grow.
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2. High Taxes Kill Investment
When you raise taxes on income, capital gains, or business profits, investors back off.
They seek safer ground, delay critical transactions, and halt new ventures.
• They fund fewer startups.
• They avoid selling successful businesses because of the tax hit.
• They shift capital to lower-tax states or overseas.
Missouri is heading the opposite direction—working to eliminate capital gains tax entirely to attract investors, entrepreneurs, and long-term growth.
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3. Businesses Don’t Eat the Cost — You Do
When taxes go up, companies pass the cost to you. They have to—margin protection is survival.
• Prices go up.
• Hiring slows down.
• Bonuses and benefits disappear.
• Expansion plans get shelved.
Your “tax the rich” slogan turns into $10 eggs and financial anxiety.
In Missouri, smart tax policy is fueling advanced manufacturing and logistics growth. From Kansas City to Joplin, companies are opening new facilities and hiring—not fleeing.
And while we’re at it—no, tariffs are not the same as taxes.
Tariffs might create a short-term bump in price, but they onshore jobs, reduce foreign dependence, and cut out bloated global middlemen.
In the long run, tariffs drive down total product cost and reinvest value into the U.S. economy.
That’s not a burden—it’s a strategy.
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4. The Rich Already Carry the System
The top earners in America already fund the lion’s share of the government.
• The top 1% pay over 42% of all federal income taxes.
• The bottom 50% contribute less than 3%.
• In California, 1% of residents fund nearly half the state’s income tax revenue.
So if the goal is “fairness,” it’s already being met—and then some.
If your goal is to punish the wealthy:
They’ll restructure, relocate, or defer.
You?
You’re the one left holding the bag.
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5. Low-Tax States Are Booming — High-Tax States Are Bleeding
People aren’t guessing. They’re voting with their feet—and their money.
• Florida, Texas, and Missouri are gaining population, business growth, and jobs.
• California, New York, and Illinois are hemorrhaging all three.
Missouri’s pursuit of a simplified flat tax and potential income tax phase-out is the kind of thinking that attracts—not repels—growth.
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6. More Government Revenue = More Government Waste
If more taxes meant better outcomes, California would be a utopia. It’s not.
• $100+ billion spent on high-speed rail—still no trains running.
• COVID relief fraud swallowed tens of billions.
• New York Medicaid lost billions to waste and abuse.
• Federal education spending keeps rising while literacy keeps falling.
• California spent $20B+ on homelessness—and made it worse.
Missouri, by contrast, is investing smarter—not bigger. The difference isn’t just fiscal—it’s philosophical.
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BOTTOM LINE
If you’ve been sold the idea that taxing the rich will fix America, you’ve been conned.
The rich will always find a way out.
You won’t. They move. You pay.
Copied from FB post, can’t remember OP
