From: Jonathan Gress
Sent: Saturday, December 21, 2019 1:13 PM
Subject: net taxpayers in ruling elite
Dear Walter,
In your view, can you be a net taxpayer but also be in the ruling elite? Or does paying taxes automatically exclude you from the elite?
Jonathan
Dear Jonathan:
In my humble opinion, you can indeed be a net taxpayer, and still be a member of the ruling class.
There is such a thing a psychic income. Ruling class members may pay more $ in taxes than the benefit, monetarily, from government, but, if they benefit, greatly, in terms of psychic income from the state, then I think they can be bone fide members of this demographic. For example, they could donate lots of money to a politician who would give them great power over innocent people. Monetarily they might lose, but they wouldn’t do this unless there was some benefit in the transaction for them.
Calhoun’s view was a good first approximation, but I don’t think it is definitive in all cases.
Ragnar Danneskjold was a net tax recipient, and NOT a member of the ruling class!
Best regards,
Walter
2:39 am on February 16, 2020
