Progressive tax benefits jobs, growth

Wonderful as capitalism is, it's unstable. Those who gain a monetary advantage find it easier to accumulate more. Eventually, the money pools too much at the top, stalling things out, like today. That hurts you, me and businesses, especially medium and small.

An adequate progressive tax primes the pump, preventing money shortage in the lower layers. More people work and create and even the very rich are served because they can make more money than in the stalled scenario.

The rich, however, fixate on the 20 or 30 cents they may pay in taxes on a dollar instead of emphasizing the 70 or 80 cents they sacrifice if the pump isn't primed. Small businesses also dislike taxes. But remember, it's better to pay taxes on dollars earned than to not get them in the first place, and a primed pump moves money through all hands. Yes, you may owe less in taxes by the low tax dogma, but at the cost, among other things, of more difficulty paying personal and business debts.

We've taxed too little for too long. Conservative economics, as currently conceived, is self-defeating. Taxing by a stronger progressive formula and spending immediately on necessary infrastructure could quickly give more jobs and growth.

David Glass

Cedar Rapids