Blog Stage 8

       In an editorial posted by Let’s Talk Politics, author Michael addresses his concerns with the proposed plan of raising taxes on the rich in order to reduce interest rates on student loans. He strongly disagrees with this plan, suggesting that the wealthy are hardworking and do not deserve to be taxed.

       Michael’s primary argument is that the wealthy already paid their way through college and therefore do not deserve to be heavily taxed to help others pay for college. He specifically states that many Americans who are wealthy now, once started off in the middle or lower classes. After reading this claim, it seems to me that he is talking about the exception, and not the norm, as for the most part, a person’s economic class does not change over his or her lifetime. Using “exceptions” as evidence is not very supportive or convincing in an argument. If he cited statistics that support this claim, then his argument would be stronger. I agree with him that raising taxes on the rich is not as simple as it seems, and a lot of times after analyzed, plans to do start to fall apart. There are many failed attempts that could have been referred to, as well as mathematical evidence and economic theories describing why this idea would not work. Lastly, Michael could have been more descriptive as to what the current proposed plan of taxing the rich is. For example, who exactly is determined to be “rich” and how much of their income would be taxed.

       Michael ends his argument by discussing how the many people who are wealthy donate to charity. This strengthens his claim as it shows that rich people are doing their part to help lower classes. Michael’s argument could be stronger by being more descriptive and using outside reliable resources to support his claims.