A Lucky Ducky Speaks Up
One of my earliest posts was on the subject of the “lucky duckies”, deemed Lucky by the writers for the editorial page of the WSJ because they make so little money that they pay little or no income taxes, though they pay substantial payroll taxes.
Via The New Republic’s Blog, &c, I see that a Lucky Ducky has offered to share his good fortune:
‘LUCKY DUCKIE’ INVITES EDITORS INTO HIS POND I am one of those lucky duckies, referred to in your June 3 editorial “Even Luckier Duckies” who pay little or nothing in federal income tax (at least by the standards of Wall Street Journal editors; $800 is more than a chunk of change to me). I am not, however, a stingy ducky, and I am willing to share my good fortune with others. In this spirit, I propose a trade. I will spend a year as a Wall Street Journal editor, while one lucky editor will spend a year in my underpaid shoes. I will receive an editor’s salary, and suffer the outrage of paying federal income tax on that salary. The fortunate editor, on the other hand, will enjoy a relatively small federal income tax burden, as well as these other perks of near poverty: the gustatory delights of a diet rich in black beans, pinto beans, navy beans, chickpeas and, for a little variety, lentils; the thrill of scrambling to pay the rent or make the mortgage; the salutary effects of having no paid sick days; the slow satisfaction of saving up for months for a trip to the dentist; and the civic pride of knowing that, even as a lucky ducky, you still pay a third or more of your gross income in income taxes, payroll taxes, sales taxes and property taxes. I could go on and on, but I am sure your editors are already keen to jump at this opportunity to join the ranks of the undertaxed. I look forward to hearing from you. Pier Petersen Chicago
How about it, WSJ Editorialists? Put your money where your mouth is?
AB
P.S. Note that there’s a big difference between the WSJ, which is a great source of news and analysis, and the WSJ Editorial Page, which is just plain wacky.