海角大神

Prolific author Stephen King is drawing attention for his column for the Daily Beast, titled 鈥淭ax Me鈥�,鈥� in which he asks why he and other financially well-off members of society aren鈥檛 paying more in taxes.

King said he鈥檇 brought up the question of why he doesn鈥檛 pay more taxes at a Florida rally and received lukewarm response.

鈥淐ut a check and shut up, they said,鈥� King wrote in his column. 鈥淚f you want to pay more, pay more, they said. Tired of hearing about it, they said鈥� I鈥檓 not tired of talking about it.鈥�

King said that when he and other wealthy Americans raise the question as to why they鈥檙e well-off financially but don鈥檛 pay more taxes they often get told that they should donate to organizations if they鈥檙e so determined to help with their money.

鈥淲hy don鈥檛 we get real about this?鈥� the author wrote. 鈥淢ost rich folks paying 28 percent taxes do not give out another 28 percent of their income to charity. Most rich folks like to keep their dough鈥�. And what they do give away is 鈥� like the monies my wife and I donate 鈥� totally at their own discretion.鈥�

The problem, says King, is that the discretionary donations that he and others make to their favorite charities won鈥檛 fix major US problems like education in or health care, among other issues that King says need to be addressed.

Every American citizen, even if his or her income is higher, needs to step up and pay, says the author.

鈥淭hose who have received much must be obligated to pay 鈥� not to give, not to 鈥榗ut a check and shut up,鈥� in Governor Christie鈥檚 words, but to pay 鈥� in the same proportion,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 called stepping up and not whining about it. That鈥檚 called patriotism, a word the Tea Partiers love to throw around as long as it doesn鈥檛 cost their beloved rich folks any money.鈥�

In his column, King pointed to the Occupy protests last year as the beginning of a backlash against the wealthy who aren鈥檛 paying as much in taxes, comparing the wealthy who reacted to the protests to Marie Antoinette (鈥淟et them eat cake鈥�) and Ebenezer Scrooge (鈥淎re there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?鈥�).

鈥淪hort-sighted, gentlemen,鈥� King wrote. 鈥淰ery short-sighted. If this situation isn鈥檛 fairly addressed, last year鈥檚 protests will just be the beginning. Scrooge changed his tune after the ghosts visited him. Marie Antoinette, on the other hand, lost her head.鈥�

King鈥檚 column prompted a flurry of comments, some supportive and some critical.

鈥淎 person's money is THEIRS, if you earned it honestly,鈥� wrote a commenter named Blackthrone. 鈥淪o what you are proposing dear sir, is a actual enslavement to our government. When we give all we earn to the government in return for services we are then at the mercy of government to provide quality services. What happens when they don't?鈥�

However, a user named RobCampbell supported King鈥檚 column.

鈥淲hat a fantastic surprise 鈥� writes great books (I've read 'em all) and endeavors to right wrongs!!鈥� the commenter wrote.

Molly Driscoll is a Monitor contributor.