I’ve had enough of the demonization of “the rich.” The latest installment comes in this AP story, which begins this way (emphasis is mine):

The rich are sharing your financial pain — and contributing to it.

It may have taken longer and it may not be as acute, but there are early hints that the economic slump is crimping the lifestyles of the wealthy.

They are investing more conservatively, spending less on luxury goods and are being more thrifty with their credit cards. Many are asking their personal shoppers and private-jet travel providers to seek the best deals rather than over-the-top extravagances.

That news may produce a shrug from many people who have lost their jobs or homes in this economy. The problem is that when the wealthy get stingy, it trickles down to the rest of us.

It is true that spending by “the rich” affects all of us, but the tone seems to be of the “how dare they” variety. Yep, how dare “the rich” decide what they will — and won’t — spend their own money on. It’s outrageous!

At what point will teachers start explaining to students the value of “the rich”? It is “the rich” who risk their money to start businesses and provide jobs and benefits. It is “the rich” who first buy newfangled techologies and gadgets, which lowers the price for those who hope to be “rich” one day. It is “the rich” who contribute millions upon millions upon millions to charities, churches, and community groups. By and large, “the rich” should be admired and appreciated.

As News & Observer op-ed columnist Rick Martinez (my husband) explained in June of last year:

The rich benefit from tax cuts to a greater degree than the rest of us because they pay a disproportionately large percentage of taxes. The Congressional Budget Office reports that in 2004, the top 1 percent of income earners paid 36 percent of all federal income tax. The top 20 percent of earners accounted for 67 percent, proving that the class warfare warriors are right. The rich don’t pay their “fair share” of taxes. They pay a lot more.

The rest of us also benefit when the wealthy give their money away. Syracuse professor Arthur C. Brooks in his book, “Who Really Cares,” discovered that 66 percent of charitable giving — about $250 billion annually — comes from 3 percent of the nation’s most affluent households. Much of it is earmarked for education, a primary tool that lifts people out of poverty.