Whose Money Is It, Anyway?

"Wealthy people are not wealthy because they are taking something from the poor or from government. And they don't stop anyone else from being wealthy," writes David Harsanyi on RCP.

"...or from the government." I think David Harsanyi has pinpointed a problem with liberal thinking. This phrase encapsulates the way liberals see government and taxation. A taxpayer who keeps some of his money is taking it from the government, as if the government has ownership of all wealth and taxpayers are allowed to keep only what the government deems is a fair portion.