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September 29, 2015

The Trump Tax Plan in Two Words: "Donald Dust"

I recently provided some commentary to the media on Donald Trump's tax "proposals." To WJLA-TV, the ABC affiliate in Washington, DC, I said, "It's a weird mix of proposals, but these plans at the end of the day are going to blow a hole in the budget." You can read the story here.

The reporter for that story asked me to summarize The Donald's plan in a word. I demurred. Nonetheless, I managed to summarize it in two words: Donald Dust.

As in The Donald blowing his magic dust of better/bygone/bogus days in yet another direction, this time over the tax code. Donald Dust is so magical that somehow slashing tax rates for the rich (from 39.6% to 25%), for partnerships and S-corps (from 35% to 15%), for capital gains and investment income (from 23.8%, including the Affordable Care Act surtax, to 20%), and for vast estates and inheritances (from 40% to zero) will not add trillions of dollars to the deficit, raise interest payments on our national debt, or slow the economy, but rather double the rate of economic growth from the present rate of 3% to 6%. Uh, and how are all those tax cuts for rich taxpayers and businesses better for the middle class? Oh, right, The Donald will also use some of his Dust to accomplish fundamental tax reform, something that hasn't happened since...er...a long time ago. Like, 1986. Maybe The Donald needs a Donald Wand to go along with his Donald Dust.

Which got me thinking. "Donald Dust" would make a good title for a poem (actually, it started out as a haiku, but...):

Donald Dust, Donald Dust,
Deliver us the American Dream, 
Donald Dust, Donald Dust,
A house, apple pie, ice cream. 
Donald Dust, Donald Dust,  
Tax cuts for me, my neighbor, you, and GE, 
Donald Dust, Donald Dust,
More cuts for estates, rich heirs, and Bobby McGee, 
How do you know what others can't see? 
How do you make 1 + 1 = 3? 
How do your tax cuts double GDP? 
Why do corporations pay less tax than me?
(please excuse the bad grammar)
Donald Dust, Donald Dust, 
Never mind all that, I really don't care, 
Just blow some of that Dust over yonder, 
I want your hair.