Bloggers Advise Ballers on the Social Benefits of Higher Taxes

First, it was Gilbert Arenas, letting loose with some off-hand -- if logical -- reasons why, if pressed, he'd consider himself a Republican: keeping his money right. Hey, that's what motivates half that party, so give Gil a break. We are mere mortals, after all.

Then over the weekend, fellow LA-er and elite point guard Baron Davis took Gil to task on his Yardbarker blog: "I know he said he's gonna raise the taxes on the top income bracket, Gil, but if he uses that money to improve our schools then you won't have to worry about some kids trying to sell pictures of your pool online cause they couldn't get a better job." Or, put another way, we're both professional athletes who like to give back to the community. What's the difference if that happens in the form of taxes? Thank heavens for FanHouse's Will Brinson, who heroically entered the fray over the weekend:

The point of all that being that it's kind of bizarre to see someone like Baron hold out and then go play for another team over the issue of many more millions of dollars ... when clearly he feels that the government should be in charge of that money anyway. Or maybe he just saw the tax cuts coming and wanted to make sure he had enough cushion.

So Brinson, whom I assume is not a multi-millionaire, is telling one multi-millionaire that he's in the wrong for trying to milk as much salary as possible out of a corporate entity -- when he's more than willing to give a bunch of it back to a government that will use it responsibly. Higher cash flow in, higher cash flow out.

And, as if this needs to be said again, the Warriors or Clippers are not the IRS. Taking money from one is not the same as being cool with giving a little more for another. If anything, I'd say Baron's achieved the ideal equilibrium between business and civic interests. Gil, who signed an even hugher contract this summer, should have even less of a problem with this. But what do I know. I'm not a pro athlete looking to give back to the community while acquiring multiple houses, nor am I Will Brinson.

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.