Re: Conservative Deadheads? Veteran Deadheads? NRA Member/Hunting Deadheads?


"Darren E. Mason" <stcalvin@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:iOidndnPXKibYSzbnZ2dnUVZ_sOrnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Richard Morris" <jrmorris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:a5-dnbLvAJWZaCzbnZ2dnUVZ_hWdnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Do you want a society in which everyone contributes *in proportion to
their ability to do so*, that does not put up barriers for certain people
and classes of people, and that helps people who are genuinely down on
their luck,
-or-
Do you want a society that protects the wealthy and assists them in
accruing greater wealth while the middle class carries the primary
burden?


This is a false choice.

The first option you provide is dangerously close to

"Each according to his means to each according to their needs."

Actually, you misquoted, but that is irrelevant because it is nowhere close
to what I said above.

We already have a progressive tax structure. I would prefer a flat tax
rate on income,
be it from capital gains, interest, or income from labor, with a
reasonable deduction for
self, dependents, mortgage interest, and health expenditures. Those that
earn more,
pay more. Those that earn less, pay less. My guess is that your
"details" are not my
"details".

Yes, I am sure that you prefer a flat tax, since it favors the wealthy.
Let's use a 10 percent tax to make the math easy. Do you really think that
the $1,500 that someone who makes $15,000 per year would pay in taxes is
equivalent to the $30,000 per year that the person making $300,000 per year
would pay? Or, more to the point, do you see a difference between $13,500
and $270,000?

I believe in equality of opportunity. Not equality of outcome.

No argument there ... which is why I very carefully addressed the issue as
making sure that no barriers exist to prevent anyone from experiencing those
opportunities. Do you think we have that situation now?

The second option does not currently exist, especially when you consider
how much
income tax revenue is paid by the "wealthy" (top income quintile?) versus
how
much of the income tax is paid for by the "middle class" (middle income
quintile?).

I would suspect that the middle class is larger that the middle quintile ...
probably more like the second, third and fourth quintiles combined.

Do you have any stats regarding income growth say for the top ten percent
over the last ten years? You might find them revealing. Here is some
information for the last 20 years:

http://www.cbpp.org/4-23-02sfp-pr.htm

Seems that we have achieved the second of the above alternatives, does it
not?


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: OT/ America
    ... Federal taxes: ... population pays a total of only 3% of the income tax. ... of US people who have an income, pay little or no *net* Federal ...
    (alt.support.diabetes)
  • Re: RICH RIGHTIES GET MORONS TO DO THEIR BIDDING .. AGAIN
    ... wagearners pay 40% of the income tax in this country. ... 70% and the top 50% pay over 97% of the income taxes in this country. ...
    (rec.gambling.poker)
  • Re: Bush Sez "The Economy is "GREAT"????
    ... Why is it we now pay more for a pound of fruit ... The Affordability Index, published by the National Association of Realtors, has plunged 20 points nationally over the past three years and more in the northeast and west. ... If you carefully read the OP's post, and perhaps Striper's remarks, you see that the underlying concept is that the economy is rapidly diverging society into a have and have-not class, consequently reducing the middle class. ... This index seems to reveal that wages and salaries and total income are NOT keeping pace, and therefore suggesting a problem such as I mentioned above, and such as Striper suggested as well. ...
    (soc.retirement)
  • Re: Sid9 admits he needs help
    ... Property taxes, tobacco taxes. ... but not to have to pay for them. ... When there is a strong middle class, ... tax and income tax.... ...
    (alt.politics)
  • Re: OT SENATE PASSES A RICH-FRIENDLY BUDGET BILL
    ... >> pay way more taxes to the government than the poor or middle class ... > get 7 and 8 figure salaries actually deserve to pay such a paltry ... income compared to the rest. ... > In fact, the middle class gives a much larger ...
    (alt.autos.toyota)