The objective of the government, at least part of it, is to maximize taxes, and return the money to the groveling voters as services of the state.

The ideal, especially for Democrats, is to have every voter totally dependent on them for something, if not everything, which is why Social Security is so beloved, and why national health care is such a fervent goal.

Soaking the rich works quite well, since a rich guy has the same one vote as someone with a lower or nonexistent income. Once the concept of income redistribution is legitimized, taxing the hell out of one rich guy and passing the money around to fifty enthusiastic recipients is a winning strategy in a democracy.