The patriotic eight
So Salon.com did a survey of the Forbes 400 , the richest people in the country, billionaires all. They asked them if they would willingly pay more taxes to help the country get out of its economic slump and on the way to prosperity. Most of the 400 declined to respond to the survey. Three unhesitatingly said no, they would not pay more taxes. Among these three was Charles Koch of the infamous Koch Brothers - no surprise there. One respondent gave an ambivalent "maybe" reply. And eight of the 400 stated that they would be willing to pay more taxes to help the country. These eight were Todd Wagner, Leon Cooperman, Mark Cuban, James Simons, George Soros, Herbert Simon, John Arnold, and, of course, Warren Buffett. We'll call them the "Patriotic Eight" for paying taxes is, in fact, a patriotic duty, no less than picking up a weapon and going to war when your country needs defending. As that champion of the middle class, Elizabeth Warren, has pointed out, no o...