My Dinner With The Dittohead I was trapped. I’m a firm believer, after all, in the whole concept of dialogue leading to understanding, so when my conservative friend invited me out to dinner (dutch treat), I had no choice but to accept. The restaurant was somewhat beyond my means, but I didn’t want him to think I would shy away from his inevitable right wing diatribes. After several drinks and appetizers (I had the house salad and a glass of water--money was tight), we moved beyond the pleasantries, and I knew he was building up steam… “It’s really quite unfair. This country is full of freeloaders, and the honest and hardworking successful citizens of this country are paying more than their fair share. It’s quite well documented. Did you know, my naive bleeding heart liberal friends, that “The Top 50% of Americans pay 96% of federal taxes. The top 1% pay 34% of all taxes. I’m not making this up, it’s right there on the IRS website”. His outrage at the injustices wealthy wage earners have to bear as a result of the draconian tax code seemed to whet his appetite, and my inability to contradict his statistics over dinner filled him with a sense of belligerent trimphalism. The following day, I was shocked and dismayed to find the following headline on his website. “ Wealthy Diners pay 80% of dinner bills!” ...If the wealthy are honest with themselves, they'll recognize that on the way to paying for the goods and services provided by the government, they've had more than their share of advantages.