In response to a tweet by the former Republican of Wisconsin, Scott Walker, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) on Tuesday afternoon offered a tax lesson of her own and once again showed why she remains a rising star when it comes to messaging progressive ideas, navigating social media, and dismantling right-wing idiocy disguised as wisdom that the GOP has gotten away with for decades.
Intended as a likely swipe against Ocasio-Cortez’s recent “not at all outlandish” proposal to raise the marginal tax rate on the nation’s wealthiest to 70 percent or more—a proposal, by the way, which a new poll out Tuesday shows a majority of Americans support—Walker earlier in the day tweeted out a message in which described how he would explain to 5th graders (in the years “before [Ronald] Reagan”) how “tax rates” work – at least in his Koch Brothers-backed mind.
Explaining tax rates before Reagan to 5th graders: “Imagine if you did chores for your grandma and she gave you $10. When you got home, your parents took $7 from you.” The students said: “That’s not fair!” Even 5th graders get it.
— Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) January 15, 2019
But right on cue, the congresswoman from New York took Walker’s silly tax policy lesson and gave it right back:
Explaining marginal taxes to a far-right former Governor:
Imagine if you did chores for abuela & she gave you $10. When you got home, you got to keep it, because it’s only $10.
Then we taxed the billionaire in town because he’s making tons of money underpaying the townspeople. https://t.co/Wcnn2sEgek
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 15, 2019
And she wasn’t alone.
“What Walker leaves out of the story,” joked Washington Post political reporter Dave Weigel, “is that the student had already made $9,999,990 on housework that year and the extra $10 pushed him into the top bracket.”
“How is it even possible that you don’t know how marginal tax rates work?” the progressive advocacy group Credo Mobile asked Walker.
And while the Patriotic Millionaires, a group wealthy individuals which advocates for higher taxes on people in their tax bracket, offered to share their resource materials to Walker so that he might better understand how the marginal rate works, their progressive allies at the Tax March also wanted to help.
“Hey Scott Walker, it’s clear that you don’t understand marginal tax rates and we can’t have you misinforming America’s children,” the group tweeted. “Check out our newest explainer video, it will get you up to speed.” Watch:
We noticed a lot of folks, even policymakers, (???? @SteveScalise ) didn't understand what marginal tax rates were, well we're here to help!
And to be clear a 70% marginal tax rate is a moderate, evidence-based policy.
Thanks @AOC for bringing this to the forefront. pic.twitter.com/6K4pKI6g2H
— Tax March (@taxmarch) January 15, 2019
This is a Creative Commons article. The original version of this article appeared here.
Get the Zionist idiot Alex! Wow we love you lady!