You're watching...
Hoover Institution Senior Fellow Thomas Sowell on the growing government dependency and efforts to raise taxes on the rich.
Also in this playlist...
Auto-advance: ON
Auto-advance
This transcript is automatically generated
Idiot -- we focus less on how someone says -- become an entitlement society then address the fact that we are and entitlement.
Society.
Period.
And who knows that better than -- -- -- decades ago warned of this growing and very pricey nanny state.
Conservative thinker bestselling author of the man many calls the very heart and soul of the conservative movement itself Thomas so just -- that you.
Premier I always saying Thomas that we get it backwards that that.
We're -- getting our nose out of joint about whose noses out of joint but not addressing that the indisputable -- that.
47% they -- income taxes.
More than ever we're seeing people on the government dole on some genuinely many not.
And it's out of -- -- but it and a.
Well I think contrary to what some Republican -- think that's not on a negative for our.
The president when the election comes these are people.
-- over are likely to vote for him.
-- Franklin -- -- show you shows you're gonna have an economic disaster.
Bigger than this one and yet well electoral landslide at the end of his first term.
And he did so because we we hadn't got out of that depression we were still in the very deep recession.
But you know a lot.
A lot of people by -- -- on the public dole the argument that Mitt Romney was raising was that that's what happens -- entitlement -- it goes.
Who are getting the entitlements remember the guide providing them but this food -- think today.
Is this is a startling development is -- not I do want you to react is on the Jack Welch.
Mentioned about this entitlement -- to make a short while ago on Fox News was and that's.
Even when voters go to the polls whatever he's -- today.
There's an inflexible in which they say retired us.
We don't wanna live in this economy we wanna live -- -- -- growing economy.
Where.
Children who are we have -- that's just taking hits a paid far.
From taxes that I created from job.
What are they gonna.
Love is the question with the stated that the question at what point of the faith and that becomes now become -- hammock.
And I'm afraid that that's where we where we are.
I was shocked to learn now within the past year that the government -- people in the supermarkets to how tells shoppers that there is -- put their food stamps available.
A big clearly.
-- administration understands but that's politically where it's.
-- How -- we get to 47%.
It's.
Not paying any income taxes I I know that the ones -- -- payroll taxes I know of those were generally poor.
But in -- and they eighties early days but it it was in the twenties.
And in this thing keeps going up and up and up so the only way to look more money to the government I guess has -- taxes on the -- -- -- the math doesn't look good.
Well first of all -- were raised the tax rate on the -- in no way translates.
-- to acquiring more government revenue and all kinds of statistics not only from this country.
-- while other countries.
Iceland India come to mind.
When the state of Maryland.
Raised who have a high tax on millionaires millionaires -- -- of -- -- collected less.
Tax revenue the high tax rate than I had at the lower tax rate.
What we do that I mean that we we live in a world now where some not all the countries like France are listing the top rates is what 75%.
And -- and a number of premier.
CEOs in that country have left so it's following this -- you mentioned but it does seem to be that way not of the entire world but.
Of a lot of it what's happening.
Well if this is this the way of the -- of the world that is -- -- because they can't sustain the well dressed very.
Now we're we're not at that point he had booked the I think we get them one more term -- will -- What.
Should Mitt Romney -- advocating -- in that the rap against him is he's got a good intellectual argument but he doesn't have the passion to present it.
Or he used as muddying the -- it's Jack Welch said.
Just go right out there in the styles the virtues of capitalism.
And how -- it is don't hide from it.
Wrap your arms around it and sell it -- -- -- Well I think I think it's one thing to explain things in plain English that repeat that ordinary people can easily understand.
I don't -- -- -- -- and carry on.
I don't I don't -- Ronald Reagan Randy.
He just went out they had made the case.
And he won two landslide elections.
So why you you -- you don't want our rob -- anyone else to be something that they have not.
He's he's not you know -- who who loses doctor that the Democrats had their carry on so.
He's got back got a person and I think for him try to pretend to be something he's not would only -- -- but I that he does need to explain explicitly.
Exactly what -- what it is and why he believes what he does and I think that's -- -- -- not looking for -- -- and chief in the White House.
