This morning on Fox News, the panel of their Saturday financial know-nothings attacked an issue that has been burning at the heart of Americans for decades: U.S. Has As Many Tax Preparers As Police And Firefighters.
That’s right. Fox News is blasting the free market, small business owners who start companies aimed at providing services to individuals and businesses who can benefit from them. The quantity of tax preparers is driven by the demand in the marketplace, and that demand is creating jobs for hard-working, experienced entrepreneurs. Why would Fox object to that?
What’s more, the comparison to the number of police and firefighters makes no logical sense. What is Fox implying? Is it that we should have fewer tax preparers than the market demands? Is it that we should hire more first responders, whom Fox is generally opposed to funding? And how does the quantity of persons who are the victims of crime or fire relate to persons who desire tax advice?
Fox might just as well have compared the number of tax preparers to the number of janitors (2,310,400) or waiters (2,260,300) or nurses (2,737,400), most of whom outnumber tax prepares, police, and firefighters combined. Does that say something significant about the number of each of those professionals? Is it important to note that there are fewer firefighters than there are insurance sales agents (who ironically sell fire insurance policies)?
Let’s face it – Fox is only interested in insinuating that something is amiss because there are more tax preparers than first responders. It is Fox’s way of demeaning the tax system. However, Fox never mentions that there are many more people who pay taxes than there are victims of crime and fire. Just as there are many more people who dine at restaurants, creating the demand for waiters. And to the extent that our first responders are understaffed, Fox would object to spending the money required to hire more of them.
In fact, it would fit in perfectly with the Fox agenda if the number of people paying taxes declined and the number of victims increased. It would also fit Mitt Romney’s agenda, as he is on record opposing additional police, firefighters, and teachers.
The whole debate was a farce that served no purpose other than to fulfill Fox’s mission of making their audience as ignorant as possible. And on that measure, as usual, they succeeded quite well.
What a bunch of juvenile know-nothings! OMG are they all in seventh grade! Any normal journalist would be ashamed to be on that panel.
I can’t decide if fox noise is imitating RMoney or the other way around. You know, say whatever they think their dumb and dumber audience/constituents want to hear or just say something so outlandish and be secure in knowing they will be believed and taken as gospel just because they said it.
Hmmm, seems like you will say whatever you like to promote your own agenda…what a wasted blog…sorry google led me to it…
Er, isn’t that what *all* blogs do, Tie? The questions that you should be asking/answering are: 1) is it factual? and 2) does the argument make sense?
I think that’s what Tie must be objecting to; the factual and making sense part.
I often go years without speaking to a police officer or having my house on fire… Actually I think I’ve only had firemen in my house once in my entire life, after I accidentally got blinded. (Did you know that many powerful medicines and toxins are in common weeds? It’s true! Don’t get them in your eyes x-x)
However, everyone employed needs to pay their taxes. And all businesses. And non-profits. And every type of organization that has any money or payroll or property. Every year. Some four times a year! So it doesn’t surprise me that there are more tax-preparers.
What continues to surprise me is that Republicans can make this point and continue to vote for more tax-credits…