High top tax rates are one reason economic gains were shared more equitably. Business leaders back then didn’t bother demanding insanely large paychecks because much of that pay would’ve been taxed away anyway. That left more money for workers and productive investment.

Revenue from fair taxes on the rich also helped pay for public works projects that created good jobs and built the infrastructure for a strong economy.

But we don’t need to just look back at history. In the real world right now, Sweden has a 70 percent marginal tax rate and one of the world’s most vibrant economies. Ordinary Swedes enjoy universal health care, free college, and more than a year of paid parental leave.

And on indicators that business leaders like Michael Dell should care about because they make for a strong labor pool – like engineers per capita and public health – the Swedes kick American butt.

In 1953, the CEO of GM, Charles Wilson, famously said that “what was good for our country was good for General Motors, and vice versa.” Back then, there was a lot of truth to that.

Big U.S. corporations contributed much more to the country through taxes and good jobs. Wilson himself paid more than 70% of his total income in taxes in 1950.

Today, at Dell Technologies, which makes most of its computers outside the United States, what’s good for the company is certainly very good for Michael Dell. Is it good for the country? That’s not so clear