Quote:
Originally Posted by TheBig3KilledMyRainDog
As for this wealth distribution thing, it appears imbalanced from the PoV of the instance of taxing, not the long run. Its easier explained when its not money but I'll do my best.
If I have 500,000 of taxable income and you have 50,000 and for the hell of it, lets say we're all paying 10%, I end up paying 50,000 where are you pay 5,000.
At that point, yes, I "got screwed", my work apparently wasn't rewarded and the government was sapping my lively hood. I paid 10 times the amount you did.
But thats where it ends, because I'm left with 450,000 and you've got 45,000. I've still got 10 times the amount of money you do. And when I go to the grocery store, butters still $3.19, Bread costs the same, gas didn't go up and our electric bills fluctuate the same depending on usage.
I've still got plenty more options with my income level, so i'm not sure how the wealthy are punished. I don't generally watch Countdown with Keith Olberman but he had a figure that under one of the Roosevelt presidencies, the top tax bracket paid 50%.
Built on a scaling platform, taxes still favor those who work harder, the idea of wealth distribution is a little bizzare to me, but Republicans tend to win the image game more often. I don't know how though, they give out free calculators at the bank.
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Your example is what most wealthy people have often called for. A flat tax. The problem is this when I made 25K a year I was being taxed around 30% If I were to make 250K I'd be taxed at nearly 42%. That's the unfair part when the more money you make the heavy the tax burden on each dollar becomes.
It's counter intuitive in my opinion. In the regular working world when you exceed your expected time of labor you are often eligible for over-time or time and a half pay, meaning the value of your time is greatly increased. Yet the tax system takes a higher and higher percentage of each dollar you make. Suggesting you've exceeded optimal income.
All I want is to be taxed at the same rate as everyone else. I pay the same sales tax, property tax, vice taxes as anyone else why should my income taxes be higher or lower because of my income.
@ Ethan
I do think you are under estimating the generosity of people. Most people I know who can afford to do so donate heavily and would even more so if they had more disposable income.
To your question about the Ghetto's and run down neighborhoods. Again I'd trust people more then the government to fix this problem. In Detroit there is a growing charter school program. They are like private schools in a sense but have a lot more flexibility with who they can admit including limited or no tuition for lower income families. The best of these schools are graduating over 85% while the public schools are the nations worst at less then 40%.
To help those without reliable transportation a local businessman has started a free busing program for students and even offered jobs to the unemployed parents of the schools children.
I thing that may be the crux of our disagreement.
More later perhaps on IM, I have to run 311 concert tonight. My fathers day gift which is weird cause I'd never have bought the tickets for myself, but time with my daughter will be great.