Although I know that Johnathan Lott's column in Thursday's Alligator comparing grades to taxes was written in jest, I have to say that I take serious issue with his metaphor.
Under even the briefest of examinations, it is obvious that this comparison is completely irrelevant to the real world where there are innumerable issues that force people into poverty.
Furthermore, the fact that the struggles low-income families face every day as they try to make ends meet is compared to such a minor issue as grades is belittling and demeaning.
Weak metaphors aside, the real question that we, Lott in particular, have to ask ourselves is whether the fact that some people possess a higher level of knowledge and skills than others justifies the enormous disparities in wealth in America.
If someone works hard their whole life and becomes a billionaire, does that mean that they are entitled to keep most of it since they worked hard? Does it mean that they are therefore entitled to own five houses and their own private island since they worked hard?
If, on the other hand, I was not able to get an adequate education and I am forced to work a minimum wage job, does that mean that I should be so poor that my children are unable to get an adequate education even though I worked hard?
Does it mean that they shouldn't have access to adequate health care when they get sick even though I worked hard?
Does it mean that they should be forced to skip meals or go to bed hungry every night even though I worked hard?
Does it mean that my family and I should be forced to live in substandard housing even though I worked hard?
A progressive tax system is not designed to make everyone equal. It is meant to ensure that all Americans, regardless of their circumstances, have access to decent housing, food, education and health care.
