Shrink the Rich; Not Government

[georgephillip]

I call them Americans.

I attended private school.

Do you "earn" $50 million/year?
Do you have assets of $350 million?
Have your assets and income increased by 550% since 1978?
Do you pay taxes at a 16% or a 32% rate?

Is it clear to you how in a "republic" where money equals "free" speech the 0.01% of the population who earn $50M/year would control the political process?

Are you arguing for a further concentration of wealth and power in the hands of a few?

Is that your definition of "American?"
Phil's Stock World

Do you let them do your voting?

If you limit your voting "choice" to Republican OR Democrat, the rich have already determined who your candidates will be.

That was before the recent SCOTUS decision empowering corporations to expand their political influence.

 

[Lasher]

Do you "earn" $50 million/year?
Do you have assets of $350 million?
Have your assets and income increased by 550% since 1978?
Do you pay taxes at a 16% or a 32% rate?

Is it clear to you how in a "republic" where money equals "free" speech the 0.01% of the population who earn $50M/year would control the political process?

Are you arguing for a further concentration of wealth and power in the hands of a few?

Is that your definition of "American?"
Phil's Stock World

Do you let them do your voting?

If you limit your voting "choice" to Republican OR Democrat, the rich have already determined who your candidates will be.

.

How so?

 

[georgephillip]

Based on the current funneling of resources from the middle class to the wealthy via a complicated and unfair tax code, I'd say the results of the last 30 years bear witness to your statement being absolutely correct 100%

Glad to have you on board with liberal thinkin' there T.

You !

Are you aware of the fact that the 16th Amendment was sold to the populace as a soak the rich scam - where 95% of Americans were exempt?!?!?!?!?

Do you agree with the scheme?!?!?!?

.

I would not doubt at all that most people, even in those days, hate the hand that feeds them. It is always advantageous, in a "democracy," to pander to the "have-not" majority, to play on their jealousy of the wealthy, their envy of others' possessions, their repulsion of their own lack of ambition, etc., but deep in most of their hearts, they realize that they are reaping exactly what they have sown in life, and that is why the socialists, the collectivists, the communists, etc. have such a hard time winning most of them over to their ungodly ideas. Those of us who really think about freedom realize that collectivism is a losing proposition.

While those of you who really think about freedom recognize no contradiction between plutocracy and democracy?

What is a plutocracy but a collective of elites who expect government to socialize the cost of society while reserving the profits for the fortunate few?

Government's current pandering to the rich by shifting the tax burden off of rents, interest and capital gains and onto wage labor began in earnest in 1982 by moving the cost of Social Security and Medicare out of the general budget where it would have been financed by taxpayers in higher brackets and onto the bottom of the income scale in the form of "user fees."

No doubt compassionate conservatives will outdo themselves when they finally succeed in replacing progressive taxation with a combination flat/VAT tax should the dollar lose its reserve status.

That will be a losing proposition for nine out of ten Americans.

 

[georgephillip]

But government is well on their way toward confiscation through lawful theft aren't they?

Would you call it "lawful theft" when Republicans AND Democrats write tax policy that allows someone earning a billion dollars per year to pay taxes at 15% while working and middle class taxpayers pay a rate of twice as much?

I would, indeed, say that is a generous percentage for the rich to pay.

15% of $1,000,000,000 = $1,500,000
30% of $50,000 = $15,000
___________
$1,485,000 more paid by the "rich" man.

You're assuming the rich and middle class make equal demands of government. Are the rich more dependent on government's monopoly of violence than the middle class is?

How much more would it cost Rush to pay for his own police and military protection?

There's no reason to think the billionaire's lifestyle would be significantly different if she paid $3,000,000/year in taxes instead of $1.5 million, or, better yet, if the billionaire paid $500,000,000 (50%) in taxes while the worker earning $50,000/year paid nothing in federal income tax.

$1,000,000,000 -$500,000,000 = $500,000,000/year
Vs
$50,000 - $0 = $50,000

Surely even Rush is that generous.

 

[georgephillip]

If you have evidence that people are illegally avoiding paying their taxes, you should report it.

If, however, you are merely butthurt because you think you're owed something you didn't earn, you should hush.

It is not those illegally avoiding their tax obligation I'm talking about.

It is those who use a fraction of their immense wealth to bribe elected Republicans AND Democrats to craft legal tax policies that shift the burden of taxation from rents, interest and capital gains onto wage labor.

This situation could become far more critical if US debt levels force a currency crisis that results in the dollar losing its reserve currency role.

As I suspected: You are merely butthurt because you think you're owed something you didn't earn.

If rich parasites bribe corrupt politicians to write tax code in such a way as to decrease the parasites' burden by inflicting it upon the middle class, why do you think I'm owed something I didn't earn?

Or something.

 

[daveman]

It is not those illegally avoiding their tax obligation I'm talking about.

It is those who use a fraction of their immense wealth to bribe elected Republicans AND Democrats to craft legal tax policies that shift the burden of taxation from rents, interest and capital gains onto wage labor.

This situation could become far more critical if US debt levels force a currency crisis that results in the dollar losing its reserve currency role.

As I suspected: You are merely butthurt because you think you're owed something you didn't earn.

If rich parasites bribe corrupt politicians to write tax code in such a way as to decrease the parasites' burden by inflicting it upon the middle class, why do you think I'm owed something I didn't earn?

Or something.

You vote for Democrats because they promise you a piece of someone else's pie. Then they write the tax code to favor themselves, since most legislators are wealthy.

You're s sucker.

 

[georgephillip]

Do you let them do your voting?

If you limit your voting "choice" to Republican OR Democrat, the rich have already determined who your candidates will be.

.

How so?

Through the role money plays in the primary process of both major parties.

 

[georgephillip]

As I suspected: You are merely butthurt because you think you're owed something you didn't earn.

If rich parasites bribe corrupt politicians to write tax code in such a way as to decrease the parasites' burden by inflicting it upon the middle class, why do you think I'm owed something I didn't earn?

Or something.

You vote for Democrats because they promise you a piece of someone else's pie. Then they write the tax code to favor themselves, since most legislators are wealthy.

You're s sucker.

I haven't voted for a Democrat in decades, dman.

 

[AVG-JOE]

I don't claim to be an expert in economics...or much of anything.

But I do know that when someone says, "...you have 3 and only 3 options...", he's usually wrong.

If you can think of another option I'll kiss your ass on the 50 yard line of any game you buy the tickets for.

You can even phone a friend for help.

There's only one problem with this scenario:

I don't much care. You want to make grand pronouncements, go right ahead. But if you yell "Jump!", don't be surprised when I tell you to eff off.

Average Saying: "Sometimes there's nothing left to do but go to the tittie bar for & "

 

[AVG-JOE]

It seems you're more knowledgeable about such things than I.

I get that a lot. [SIZE="-3"].[/SIZE]

 

[AVG-JOE]

As I suspected: You are merely butthurt because you think you're owed something you didn't earn.

NO ONE is owed anything they didn't toil from the sweat of thier brow for. And just being a citizen doesn't cut it.

We are BROKE.

I don't know why leftists can't understand these basic facts.

It's not that we don't understand them, it's that we understand them differently.... It's genetic - as leftists, we're genetically programmed to be in our right minds.

Cerebral hemisphere - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Ain't life on this particular wet rock that's circling our common star cool?

 

[georgephillip]

It is not those illegally avoiding their tax obligation I'm talking about.

It is those who use a fraction of their immense wealth to bribe elected Republicans AND Democrats to craft legal tax policies that shift the burden of taxation from rents, interest and capital gains onto wage labor.

This situation could become far more critical if US debt levels force a currency crisis that results in the dollar losing its reserve currency role.

As I suspected: You are merely butthurt because you think you're owed something you didn't earn.

NO ONE is owed anything they didn't toil from the sweat of thier brow for. And just being a citizen doesn't cut it.

We are BROKE.

Would you agree some of us are more BROKE than others?

If austerity and shared sacrifice are in the cards for US workers and small business owners, is there any logical reason the richest members of society should not share the adventure?

Put another way, why not tax Wall Street banks instead of borrowing from them?

 

[daveman]

If rich parasites bribe corrupt politicians to write tax code in such a way as to decrease the parasites' burden by inflicting it upon the middle class, why do you think I'm owed something I didn't earn?

Or something.

You vote for Democrats because they promise you a piece of someone else's pie. Then they write the tax code to favor themselves, since most legislators are wealthy.

You're s sucker.

I haven't voted for a Democrat in decades, dman.

Uh huh. Suuuuuure.

 

[daveman]

If you can think of another option I'll kiss your ass on the 50 yard line of any game you buy the tickets for.

You can even phone a friend for help.

There's only one problem with this scenario:

I don't much care. You want to make grand pronouncements, go right ahead. But if you yell "Jump!", don't be surprised when I tell you to eff off.

Average Saying: "Sometimes there's nothing left to do but go to the tittie bar for & "

 

[georgephillip]

You vote for Democrats because they promise you a piece of someone else's pie. Then they write the tax code to favor themselves, since most legislators are wealthy.

You're s sucker.

I haven't voted for a Democrat in decades, dman.

Uh huh. Suuuuuure.

Full Disclosure:

Normally I limit my voting to third party candidates; however, last November I did vote for a Democrat and Republican in two state races.

In general it seems to me the quickest way to introduce revolutionary change into US politics would be if a majority of voters decided to FLUSH all Republican AND Democratic incumbents from DC on the same damn day.

If nothing else, C-SPAN becomes the best reality television ever.

 

[The T]

As I suspected: You are merely butthurt because you think you're owed something you didn't earn.

NO ONE is owed anything they didn't toil from the sweat of thier brow for. And just being a citizen doesn't cut it.

We are BROKE.

Would you agree some of us are more BROKE than others?

If austerity and shared sacrifice are in the cards for US workers and small business owners, is there any logical reason the richest members of society should not share the adventure?

Put another way, why not tax Wall Street banks instead of borrowing from them?

Ummm...yes. However? Government should be cutting back by as much if not more than those of us out here in the trenches are having to.

As it stands? Everyone should be cutting back. Government still insists on a spending spree when WE out here are all tapped out.

You really oughtta stop with the wealth envy crap. Seriously.

 

[daveman]

I haven't voted for a Democrat in decades, dman.

Uh huh. Suuuuuure.

Full Disclosure:

Normally I limit my voting to third party candidates; however, last November I did vote for a Democrat and Republican in two state races.

In general it seems to me the quickest way to introduce revolutionary change into US politics would be if a majority of voters decided to FLUSH all Republican AND Democratic incumbents from DC on the same damn day.

If nothing else, C-SPAN becomes the best reality television ever.

I think we've found something we can agree on.

 

[georgephillip]

I hope so, dman.

If there's one thing the last year has shown me, it's that the internet holds the potential for change never imagined by historical heavyweights like Marx and Lincoln.

Cyberspace is a (safe?) place where people who would be unable to spend five minutes in the same room discussing politics can regularly seek out common truths.

I think "hive intelligence" can make a bigger difference in this world than anything I've seen so far, and, I suspect, there are challenges on the horizon that will test our enhanced (I almost used the world "collective) insights.

I suspect Ronald Reagan is someone we'll never agree on, but that one sentence of his in your signature rings very true to me:

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction."