I seriously doubt you would find anyone who would object to that basic idea, including the most rabid conservative.
I have never advocated everyone paying the same dollar amount in taxes, even though everyone gets pretty much the same benefits, and by strict theoretical definition that would be actually be "fair." I just use that example to point out the stupidity of those who claim the current progressive system is not "fair."
Of course, wealthy people already pay far more taxes than those who aren't.
But the terms "fair" and "progressive" as they are currently used seem to mean "that rich jerk over there pays for everything we get while we don't pay anything at all. Not only that, but we figured out a whole bunch more stuff we should get this jerk to pay for, too."
Bad enough the wealthy carry most of the rest of the country on their backs, the rest of the country spends all their time pissing on them in return.
Is "fair" half the population paying almost nothing? These are, for the most part, not people in poverty.
Good Lord, look at how deeply the discussion here is bogged down in "we need to loot some more rich people."
It's never been the taxes. It's the grotesque spending. Under Bush tax rates, in the current economy, we took in enough revenue last year (2011) to pay the 1975 Federal budget twice over.
Why doesn't this sink in?
Flame » in reply to One more time if you don’t mind
I don't mind wealthy people paying more taxes than people who aren't. I never did.
The whole thread (35 posts)
- So Romney's paying...
- Romney paid over $6 million in Federal taxes in the past two years.
- Re: Romney paid over $6 million in Federal taxes in the past two years.
- Just for fun
- Be careful of the terminology. (EDITED FOR CORRECTION)
- One more time if you don’t mind
- define:progressive tax rate, define:regressive tax rate
- What?
- Re: define:progressive tax rate, define:regressive tax rate
- You do love that red herring, don't you?
- About the definitions, you were right and I was wrong.
- And I spoke too soon
- Re: And I spoke too soon
- Yeah, those look like "my" numbers.
- The problem with defending markets here is that too many people can't think outside the "managed economy" box.
- Yeah, those look like "my" numbers.
- Re: And I spoke too soon
- And I spoke too soon
- About the definitions, you were right and I was wrong.
- You do love that red herring, don't you?
- I don't mind wealthy people paying more taxes than people who aren't. I never did.
- define:progressive tax rate, define:regressive tax rate
- One more time if you don’t mind
- Be careful of the terminology. (EDITED FOR CORRECTION)
- Tax rates of presidential candidates
- Romney paid over $6 million in Federal taxes in the past two years.