The Question the White House Just Will Not Answer

I really know the answer; in fact I know exactly why they won't answer it, but I'm going to go down the path again.

On Wednesday, Valerie Jarrett, the White House's super-secret "advisor" whom the taxpayers have paid for six years now to help plot new ways to destroy the American economy, was on the Fox and Friends morning show to answer some questions in the aftermath of the State of the Union address the night before.

Now, I will give her credit for showing up on video link; Fox News is, of course, treated by this White House as if it were Radio Kazakhstan, one level below Al Jazeera and nowhere near the access provided to ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN and MSNBC.  At least they got to ask her some questions.

One question, however, and its answer, were enough to get a column's worth of concern, at least out of me.  Steve Doocy, one of the three hosts of the Fox and Friends morning news show, posed a question about tax policy, which you can see here.  Advance to about 5:40 and you can see it if you like.

Essentially, Doocy's question was that the top income tax rate, which is close to 40% for Federal tax alone, was really high -- if the White House thought that people earning enough to pay that rate were not paying enough to be fair, then what, exactly, did the White House think the highest "fair" rate was?

On the video, you can see Mrs. Jarrett confidently and firmly avoid answering the question for what I counted as a full minute and 19 seconds.  Now, when the question is that straightforward, the answer should be simple as well.  If she believes the top rate should be 50%, then just say so.

But no, she first slid over to capital gains rates and where those should be, and went off on that, and then something about women, and maybe football inflating or something.  By the time the hosts could get a word in edgewise -- and as you can hear, they tried hard -- 79 seconds had passed and nothing close to an answer was given.  Let me tell you, it's a skill to be able to speak for 79 seconds straight and say nothing.

As I said, I know the answer (a top rate of 25% is fair, there's no way in Hades that any working American should work more than 25% for the Federal government).  I also know why neither she nor Barack Obama will answer the question, directly or indirectly.

In the extreme, socialistic view of this White House and its leaders, all earnings belong innately to the Government.  Valerie Jarrett would be happy if all capital returned to the all-knowing Feds to redistribute as they, in their infinite wisdom, saw fit, in a wonderful, Animal Farm kind of way, with them as the pigs.

If they believed otherwise, they would put a figure out for public debate as to their definition of a fair tax percentage.  They don't.  When they're asked the question outright, they find any possible way to avoid putting a figure in the conversation, and moving the conversation away from a sensible conclusion. Were they to give a number, they know they would be held to it and forced to defend it, and that would not end well for them.

Ramble on, Mrs. Jarrett; you have your 79 seconds of fame.  But we are so on to you.  You want all our income, and we won't give it to you. 

We told you that last Election Day and we will continue to tell you, as long as you keep trying to grab our wallets..

Copyright 2015 by Robert Sutton