Some snippets of Thom Hartmann's rants ...

Back in 2011, I was up late one night watching, as I recall, Bloomberg News on a hotel TV. The American host was interviewing a very wealthy German businessman at a conference in Singapore.

Amidst questions about the business climate and the conference, the host asked the German businessman what tax rate he was “suffering under” in his home country. As I recall, the businessman said, “A bit over 60 percent, when everything is included.”

“How can you handle that?” asked the host, incredulous.

The German shrugged his shoulders and moved the conversation to another topic.

A few minutes later, the American reporter, still all wound up by the tax question, again asked the businessman how he could possibly live in a country with such a high tax rate on very wealthy and successful people. Again, the German deferred and changed the subject.

The reporter went for a third try. “Why don’t you lead a revolt against those high taxes?” he asked, his tone implying the businessman was badly in need of some good old American rebellion-making.

The German businessman paused for a long moment and then leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees, his clasped hands in front of him pointing at the reporter as if in prayer.

He stared at the man for another long moment and then, in the tone of voice an adult uses to correct a spoiled child, said simply, “I don’t want to be a rich man in a poor country.”

In America, conservatives say if you’re poor that’s because you’re a moral failure and deserve whatever happens to you, including living on the streets.

The Constitution of “conservative” Angela Merkel’s Germany requires all citizens live with grundgesetz or “dignity” which includes the government doing whatever is necessary to ensure all citizens have a home, food, clothing, toiletries, furniture, transportation, and enough money to cover the minor expenses of life. They have a basic allowance (we’d call it direct-cash-welfare) program that gives cash to all poor people to meet those minimal necessities.