Rush Limbaugh melts down after caller says he's tired of hearing him defending the rich
Limbaugh: “In terms of their value to the economy, it’s so much more than what they pay in taxes”
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From the March 6, 2020, edition of Premiere Radio Network's The Rush Limbaugh Show
RUSH LIMBAUGH (HOST): This is David in Reno. You’re up first today, sir. Great to have you. Hello.
DAVID: Hello, Rush. How are you?
LIMBAUGH: Good, sir.
DAVID: I want to give you a few dittos. Let me preface here real quick, um, just to get by, I was told to hurry up. But anyways, I’m a 61-year-old white male that did not vote for Trump, but I am a conservative. To be honest, I did not vote for anybody. You’re the only one that’s ever gotten me to vote about 20 years ago. The first time I voted was for President Bush. When he lied about the taxes, I took my name off the list and never voted since then.
As a born-again Christian, I hear you all the time advertising about the rich. And, to be honest, Rush, I’m sick and tired of hearing about the rich. The way I understand it, I can look at all the top 3% or 4% of the people. The rich ones did not pay any taxes, unless you can correct me on that. From Bezos, all those guys did not pay any taxes. They’re trillion-dollar companies — and, I’ll tell you what.
As far as a Christian’s concerned, I’m a contractor. I could turn my company into a multimillion-dollar business if I hustled and worked real hard. But, to be honest, I don’t because I don’t need a lot of money. I need enough money to get by. I know what the Bible says about scripture, about the rich man that came over to God and asked how to get in the kingdom of God.
LIMBAUGH: Okay. Wait, wait, wait, wait. What is the real beef here? What? I want to be able to respond to you. What is the real complaint you’ve got here with me? It says you’re tired of me defending the rich?
DAVID: The rich don’t pay. The top ones don’t pay. If you want to do a flat tax across the board to make equal across everybody to pay. Look, if you’re worth $50 billion and you pay $1 billion in taxes, big deal. My main point is, Rush, is how many houses, how many cars do you guys need? You can’t take the rich —
LIMBAUGH: As many as somebody wants if they’ve earned the money to buy them! It’s none of your business or mine how many homes they want or need, just like it’s none of their business what we think of it. They’re not gonna give a rat’s rear end what we think of them, either. The idea that the rich don’t pay any taxes? Try living in a capitalist society without them and see how far anybody gets.
I have no problem defending the rich whatsoever, but not as a character reference. I’m not defending rich people on the basis of their character. I actually think most of them — well, I can’t say “most.” I can point to two or three (and I have) how in many ways literally ignorant and stupid they are. Bloomberg is at the top of the list, and he’s proved it. The one thing about the rich is they fall into this business behind the money that they don’t have to be interesting.
They don’t have to be charismatic. They don’t have to be, They’re just rich. But in terms of their value to the economy, it’s so much more than whatever they pay in taxes. I’m gonna tell you, the rich and everybody is gonna do much more brilliant and wise things with their own money than the government is gonna do after they take it from somebody. Ah, damn it, now, I’m on a roll here and I have to stop because I’m out of time. But you have lit a fire here, sir.