"If you made 110 points on my test then you can afford to give some to the person who made 72" [View all]

[Stuckinthebush]

This was a response to my daughter from her 10th grade math teacher on why he doesn't vote Democratic.

He said he can't support a party that feels it is ok to give his hard earned money to people who don't work for theirs. He said it would be like a teacher asking a kid who made 110 on a test to give 19 points to someone else who made a 72.

My daughter told me it bothered her because it made sense. My 8th grader in the back seat said, "Wow. It does make sense."

I was ready and explained how that analogy isn't quite accurate.

I discussed income inequality,
I spoke of the import of supporting societal members to protect society as a whole,
I delved deep into the myth of the self made man/woman
I tried to dismantle the straw man of the welfare queen or king
I explained the tax code and how everyone pays the same amount at different income levels
I talked about the tax loopholes for the richest among us

But, the insidious nature of the simple analogy is that it makes sense because of its simplicity.

I would love my brilliant DU friends to help me with a simple story that puts his analogy on the ropes.