I don’t mean to brag (okay maybe a little bit), but I actually had a political discussion with one of Kamala’s “hope and joy” voters that didn’t end with her calling Donald Trump the reincarnation of Adolph Hitler, or me a racist. Jane (not her real name) is a Minnesota resident, close family friend, and a rabid Donald Trump hater. My wife has tried to discuss politics with Jane on numerous occasions, but at the mere mention of “Trump,” emotions flair and the conversation ends – usually badly. I accidentally discovered that the secret to talking politics with a hater like Jane, is to leave Trump’s name out of it.
During a recent visit, Jane mentioned that she was thinking about selling a stock portfolio which she had inherited from her mother. I suggested that she consider the capital gains tax before selling. She didn’t see that as a problem, because she hadn’t been taxed when the stock went up last year. I explained to her that investments are not taxed until they are realized – turned into something you can spend. The taxman doesn’t care that stocks go up and down, until you sell the stock. Then he want’s his “taste” for the full amount of her greedy profit (to use Kamala’s terminology).
Jane’s eyes got really big, and then the conversation got interesting.
Jane: But that portfolio has gone up hundreds of thousands of dollars since my mom and dad invested in it, decades ago.
Me: That’s certainly what the government is hoping. It has some really big bills to pay and it’s going to want its fair share from you.
Jane: Well, I guess I’ll just keep the stock. [It seems Democrats only want other people to pay taxes.]
Me: That will work for this year.
Jane: [Eyes narrowing] Whadaya mean this year?
I explained that the government doesn’t like watching our net worth going up without getting its take. The Democrats would like to start taxing unrealized capital gains – gains on investments that haven’t been converted to cash yet. Biden proposed it, Jeffries and Schumer support it, and Kamala said she’d sign it. Only a Republican filibuster prevents its passage, and Kamala wants to do away with the filibuster. If the bill were to pass, she (and the IRS) will get a 1099 form every year reporting on how much her investments have increased in value. She’ll have to pay taxes on the capital gain, whether she has sold the stock or not.
Jane: But that could be a lot of money.
Me: Yup. They hope so. Have you seen their deficits?
Jane: Where will I get the cash?
Me: [Shrug]
Jane: Will the IRS give me money back if my stock goes down in value?
Me: [Belly laugh]
Suddenly I saw a new emotion in this “feelings” voter – fear.
Jane: But won’t they exempt middle-class Americans like me?
Me: That’s what they say. They only want the “rich to pay their fair share.” You know, the people that make hundreds of thousands of dollars on their investments. Buy the way, how much equity do you have in your home?
Jane: [Squinting at me] Huh? What does that have to do with anything?
That’s when I explained to Jane that the plan is to tax unrealized capital gains on anything that gains value – not just stocks and bonds. Home equity (often in the hundreds of thousands of dollars) is an unrealized capital gain which many middle-class Americans are sitting on.
Jane: What? That’s [expletive deleted]. My house has more than doubled in value since my husband and I paid off the mortgage.
Me: [Shrug, while tying to stifle a giggle]
Jane: What am I going to have to do – take out another mortgage just to pay the damn taxes.
Me: No. Of course not. I doubt that any bank will loan money against a property that the government has a claim against. [That was hard to get out with a straight face.]
Jane: How are we going to keep our house if we don’t have the money to pay the taxes on the equity?
Me: I’m sure those 80,000 public servants that Joe Biden added at the IRS will happily help you figure that out.
Then I saw a new emotion – anger … mixed with more than a little annoyance at my sarcasm.
Me: Why so angry? Tim Walz (whom I know she voted for) says socialism is just being neighborly, and paying your fair share is your neighborly duty. Your heart should be filled with a sense of community service when you send that check to the IRS every April. [That was mean, but I couldn’t help it.]
The Democrat party has conditioned their base to vote their feelings, and Kamala is counting on them feeling nothing but hatred towards Donald Trump. Their brainwashing is so complete that many of us have found it nearly impossible to have meaningful debates with them. Okay fine. If they want to vote their feelings, let’s give them some new emotions to consider. I suggest anger and fear. We just need to help them feel it.
PS: I’m under no delusion that my brief talk with Jane will change her vote. I just hope that she’s not under any delusion that I won’t say “I told you so” when she gets what she’s voting for.
Author Bio: John Green is a retired engineer and political refugee from Minnesota, now residing in Idaho. He spent his career designing complex defense systems, developing high performance organizations, and doing corporate strategic planning. He is a contributor to American Thinker, The American Spectator, and the American Free News Network. He can be reached at greenjeg@gmail.com.
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