An Ebb Tide Sinks All Boats

For some reason I associated the phrase “A Rising Tide Floats All Boats” with President Reagan and supply side economics. In reality it was John F Kennedy who coined the phrase. The point is that there has been much debate about whether or not promoting economic policies that reward investors and risk takers in business are good for society. The “rising tide floats all boats” phrase is often employed to justify supply side economics. The other side will retort “Rising tides don't lift all boats, particularly those stuck at the bottom. For the boats stuck at the bottom there's a misery index." This was the retort by Jesse Jackson at the Democratic National Convention on July 18, 1984.

While the left may debate the wisdom of “A Rising Tide Floats All Boats,” in this day and age there is no denying that an ebb tide sinks all boats. Based upon the IRS records below there is no denying the fact that there has been a significant drop in the number of filings for those making $200,000 and above as well as the amount of taxes paid.

We know how the well-to-do did, but how about those who were supposedly left in the mud during the rising tide?

According to an MSNBC article, middle income and poor households had even sharper declines in income. Poverty levels also jumped to an 11 year high. Unemployment was even more devastating to these income groups that were more likely to live paycheck to paycheck.

Thus, an ebbing tide has definitely been proven to leave boats in the mud. Perhaps we should return to policies that raise the tide and let the boats that want to rise with it, rise, and the boats that don’t… well, you will always have the poor according to Jesus.