Dear John: It is with great hesitation that I write you because I’m not a well-educated man, and I am sure I’m nowhere near as smart as you are, but here it goes.
First, please let me say I have read your column for years and have learned a lot. I really enjoy the info you provide on how silly the unemployment numbers are.
Anyway, I would really think twice about giving the government the power to tax a business out of existence just because the government thought it was a good thing to do for America.
Suppose our government realized that financial advisers and tax consultants were “costing” the government billions of dollars a year because they were showing people how to keep their tax bills low.
So in order to correct this problem for Americans — in the name of fairness — their services had to be taxed at 99 percent.
Do We the People have a right to their services? Yes, but that does not mean [the government has to] make those services affordable.
And secondly, if you tax the gun industry out of business and no more guns are being sold, except to guys like George Soros and Mayor Bloomberg, how will that help the deficit?
And lastly, if some madman plans on killing himself after he commits a mass shooting, why would he hesitate to just max out some credit cards and get the ammo he needs?
Thank you, and I look forward to many more years of your excellent columns. J.D.
Dear J.D.: I think I speak for all Americans when I say that gun violence needs to be stopped — one way or another. Tax advisers, as despicable as some may be, don’t cause people to die. So, respectfully, that example is a weak one.
If I had been making an argument against my proposal to tax firearms, I would have used a hypothetical example from the First Amendment, which guarantees — among other things — the right of this newspaper to publish.
One could argue that technology has made the media business far more powerful than the framers of our Constitution intended and, therefore, changes to the First Amendment need to be made.
But while some people in my business might be boring Americans to death, I think the gun industry is in the unique position of actually selling a product that can cause instant death. And mass death.
I think the best argument for gun control is the National Rifle Association’s executive vice president, Wayne LaPierre. He’s the guy who suggested that we counteract school violence by putting armed guards in all schools. (Why not in churches and supermarkets and buses, too?)
If guys like LaPierre are walking around this country armed and ready, that’s a prospect that scares the hell out of me.
Even if my gun tax raised two bucks it would help the budget deficit $2 worth — and it would reduce violence.
And if Soros and Bloomberg want to shoot me, let them go ahead. At least then my family can sue someone with assets to take. I’d love to cover that trial.
Send your questions to Dear John, The NY Post, 1211 Ave. of the Americas, NY, NY 10036, or john.crudele@nypost.com.