Will Smith a Secret Tea Partier? Says "God Bless America" to France's Proposal to Tax Rich at 75 Percent

He'd pay anything to keep his country going, but it doesn't sound like he'd pay that

The blockbuster actor Will Smith was in France a few months ago promoting Men in Black III. Because it was French presidential election season and French cable news isn't too much different than American cable news, the actor was asked about issues on the campaign trail in France, specifically taxes. Smith told the anchor he'd "pay anything" his country needs to keep going. So he was asked about then-presidential candidate Francois Hollande's proposal to tax the rich at a level of 75 percent, a promise he is trying to make good on now that he is president. A visibly shocked Smith said "well that's different" before finally deciding on "God bless America."

Video below, question starts at about 1:11

Comments

[Pip]

He's a rich business man. And very good at it.

[Drake]

Smith is a liberal Democrat. France just hit a number that shocked even him.

Any good leftist knows you need to move gradually - not just ram it in 75% without any lube.

[Almanian 1]

It's only a 1% income tax. ONE. PERCENT! Come on!

[Ska]

"Just most of the shaft baby; let me just try with most of the shaft."

[RedDragon6009]

Just the tip!

[Tulpa Doom]

The good news is, we may finally get a real-world chance to interpolate the peak of the Laffer curve, which most economists who've looked at it carefully estimate to be around 70%.

[Drake]

I think it's much lower than that (like 25%). I suspect 75% is where the downward slope is too steep for even leftists to deny (which doesn't mean they won't justify the "fairness" of it).

[Tulpa Doom]

I'd think the maximizer has got to be more than 50%.

Of course, it's quite possible to have different shapes for different levels of wealth. ie, it's likely that super-rich people would stop bothering with earning income at lower taxation levels than poor people would.

[Copernicus]

what is a Laffer curve, a number so absurd that no one can stop laffing?

[Almanian 1]

I saw this like, the day after it happened. This is now what we call "old news".

And - yeah - I'm sure Will's all "Don't Tread on Me!" and shit.

[Tulpa Doom]

So he went on French media without any idea of what was going on in France? My opinion of his intellect just went down a notch.

[Episiarch]

So you're saying you had a high opinion of his intellect before? Oh, Tulpy-poo, you make me so sad.

[Tulpa Doom]

He seemed smart in I, Robot.

[Gladstone]

This youtube video is from May. Way to be relevant which I know Reason desperately wants to be.

[Gladstone]

Also haven't a lot of commenters here stated that most people are libertarians with regards to their own lives? I'm sure Will is just aching for massive tax cuts.

[GILMORE]

Rich liberals in America constantly say they'd love to raise taxes on the 'rich'. They usually mean, "the other guy"

[Gladstone]

Taxes and regulations are for the kulaks/proles/little people.

[Aresen]

Yes. It's really about whose ox is gored, isn't it?

[A Serious Man]

But on the other hand if Obama loses Smith will finally get to play him in the biopic directed by Denzel Washington.

[RBS]

Will Michelle be played by Tyler Perry?

[A Serious Man]

I think Samuel L. Jackson should, less makeup required, all he'd need is a wig.

[RBS]

Get this motherfucking fried chicken out of this motherfucking house.

[Archduke PantsFan]

Eddie Murphy

[Copernicus]

Nah, Wesley Snipes already has experience playing horse-faced drag queens.

[Copernicus]

The Director will be Spike Lee. Some kind of a back to work grant.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

Denzel will play Obama. Smith will play Trayvon.

[A Serious Man]

Well Smith actually resembles Obama, although I guess that's not a big issue for Hollywood.

And I've been saying all along: Jaden Smith will play the charming, funny, misunderstood Trayvon who's life is tragically cut short by the brutish George Zimmerman, played by Danny Trejo.

[Skip]

They would just get one of the guys who played a skinhead on Oz for Zimmerman.

[WhatAboutBob]

...George Zimmerman, played by Danny Trejo.

I read that as Danny DeVito.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Will Smith a secret Tea Partier? Well, he did express positive thoughts about Hitler a while back. That should have been a clue.

[Episiarch]

List of Will Smith's crimes against humanity:

1. He has appeared in movies by both Michael Bay and Roland Emmerich.
2. He has made films from classic novels multiple times that utterly shit on the source material, to the point that it is nearly unrecognizable.
3. He made another Karate Kid movie.
4. He was on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
5. He is responsible for "Parents Just Don't Understand".
6. He gives Jada Pinkett legitimacy.
7. He's Hugh's favorite actor.

Need I go on?

[RBS]

I was horrified to read #7.

[Episiarch]

As you should be. It's the last because it's the worst.

[Dunphy (the real one)]

will smith made another karate kid movie?

i wasn't aware he was involved in the remake, just his son

do the sins of the children...?

if will was involved with the remake, i apologize, but i wasn't aware he was

[Tim]

He am legend.

[Archduke PantsFan]

Conspiracy Theory was a documentary?

[Bardas Phocas]

You mean "Enemy of the State"

[RBS]

Mel Gibson would like a word.

[Archduke PantsFan]

That's the joke

[Gladstone]

Well to be fair I, Robot wasn't written as an adaptation but they bought the rights so they could slap the title on it.

[Episiarch]

You're just reinforcing my point.

[Tulpa Doom]

To be even more fair, Asimov's I, Robot was a collection of related stories, not a single novel. And the movie did incorporate elements of a few of the stories therein.

[Tulpa Doom]

The difference is, when you sign on to a crappy address parsing project, Will Smith never knows your shame. But when he works in a bad project, people like you shit on him for it.

[Skip]

Actors were a lot more conservative back when they were just making 5 times as much as the average citizen instead of 100 times.

[Skip]

Actors were a lot more conservative back when they were just making 5 times as much as the average citizen instead of 100 times.

[BakedPenguin]

This is just one reason why Wesley Snipes is a far better actor and person.

[RBS]

He's a true american hero.

[The Hammer]

Will Smith.....racist?

[Tim]

Welcome to Earf!

[ZengaFooo]

Surely he is smart enough to realise that Tea Parties are for little girls with invisible friends lol.

http://www.in-privacy.tk

[Pip]

Pass me some of that, ZengaFoo.

[Waggoneer]

Will Smith did "The Pursuit of Happiness" which was very anti-tax and bootstrappy.
I think he is more conservative than most give him credit for.

[ant1sthenes]

Will Smith was the original R C Dean, you know.

[Death Rock and Skull]

Flat tax or no tax.