October Pundit 1
- Jylliann Huff
- Oct 21, 2019
- 1 min read
Nicholas Kristoff
Should We Soak the Rich? (https://nyti.ms/2VDddkO )
And they'll still be loaded.
The New York Times
October 12, 2019
Nicholas Kristoff presents a very forceful and impassioned message throughout his article. Kristoff begins his article by mentioning Trump’s push for a tax that has made income inequality worse. He then elaborates on the effects of income tax inequality by comparing the rich to the poor. He argues that political power is easier to obtain through wealth. There is also a gap in life between the rich and the poor due to the differences in the quality of life. Kristoff mentions how the poor have to face labor union assault, factory closings, and social welfare issues: problems wealthy people will never face. Kristoff ties all of this information to support his one main claim: we should push for a higher income tax for the rich and “soak them”.
Kristoff’s intended audience appears to be his readers who have been directly affected by the income inequality. He intends to spark that need to protest for higher income taxes for the rich. Kristoff appeals to logic by including statistics on tax rates between the rich and the poor. His tone throughout this article remains frustrated and insistent. It feels as if Kristoff is pointing his finger at you and telling why the rich must have higher income tax.
Kristof delivers his argument in an almost angry tone. Although not explicitly stated, Kristof seems to have been personally affected by income tax inequality. He uses examples and frequently explains how poor people have a low quality of life in general, but income tax inequality makes it so much worse.
I commented on the blogs of Landry, Elaine, and Allen.
Kristof dives right into his topic of discussion within the first sentence of his article, catching the attention of his readers from the start. Since I focused on Nicolas Kristof's writing last month, I'm not surprised to see his passionate tone reappear in one of his most recent articles. After reading his article, his intentions seemed to want to spark protest, as you stated above, so his usage of statistics throughout it helps to back up his claims.