The best part of the interview, as far as I’m concerned, isn’t the part that’s gotten all the attention, namely where Congressman John Fleming (R-LA) says that he’s only left with $400,000 to feed his family every year.

Instead, it’s the part where the interviewer asks: “You do understand, Congressman, that the average person out there who’s making 40, 50, 60 thousand dollars a year, when they hear that you only have $400,000 left over, it’s not exactly a sympathetic position. You understand that?”

As far as I can tell, Fleming’s reply might have been very brief: “No. No, I do not.”

There might be no more brilliant (and certainly no more succinct) image of the enormous divide that exists between the Haves and the Have-Nots.

EDIT: A number of libertarian bloggers have written to me to clarify what I clearly failed to note when I first listened to the video: the Congressman only feels that he needs to spend $200,000 to feed his family, not $400,000. The $400,000 (of the $600,000 that he nets from the $6M+ his businesses bring in every year) would be for reinvestment in those businesses. Apparently, if he had to pay any additional taxes, he wouldn’t be able to reinvest the entirety of that $400,000. The family, presumably, would still be able to eat. I hope that’s cleared up the hardship he obviously would be facing and the threat to the economy that would surely come from any additional taxation of multi-millionaires.