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Andrew Kreig, executive director of Justice Integrity Project, offers analysis of Supreme Court’s denial of Siegelman appeal; Brian Miller, executive director of United for Fair Economy and co-author of The Self-Made Myth, about tax fairness.Kreig is an attorney in Washington who has covered the legal persecution of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman. With the Supreme Court’s refusal to hear his appeal, and the Obama Justice Department calling for a longer sentence, Siegelman is the victim of a political prosecution led by Republicans and the failure of Democrats to stand on principle. Read Kreig’s article about it here, and be sure you’ve heard Roger Shuler’s report on the divorce case of the judge in the Siegelman case in podcast 480. In our wide ranging discussion, Kreig critiques the courts and the prosecutors for “result-oriented” justice, talks about the prosecution of New York’s former top cop, Bernard Kerik and recaps many of the outrageous aspects of the case.
At about 53 minutes into the show, we talk with Brian Miller about the myths promoted by many wealthy Americans that they achieved success on their own and don’t owe anything to the country or lower-income citizens. We also touch on the anti-government philosophy embraced by many wealthy individuals and the malicious lie that taxes “penalize success”. Miller is an articulate advocate for higher taxes on the rich, and the book profiles many wealthy people who believe they should be paying more in taxes, because they recognize that they did not get rich just on their own. Miller suggests rolling back all of the Bush tax cuts, taxing corporations that hold cash offshore, and passing a Wall St. transaction tax.