How much do extremely wealthy people owe to the society that gave them the chance to prosper so much?

[Anomalism]

No, your words mean that. Again, learning to recognize how you present to others is an important part of becoming an adult.

If you know what I think better than I do there probably isn't much sense in having a conversation about it.

 

[Cecilie1200]

I knew he was egregiously immature.

You are one of the most hostile and condescending posters on this forum. You're throwing stones in a glass house.

I most certainly am hostile and condescending when I feel it's warranted by stupidity. Unlike you, I've earned it through long life experience.

 

[Cecilie1200]

You really need to study history, child. That's what every single revolution ever was told, including our own.

There's not going to be a right wing revolution.

That's also been said about every single revolution in history, including our own.

 

[Anomalism]

I most certainly am hostile and condescending when I feel it's warranted by stupidity. Unlike you, I've earned it through long life experience.

You haven't earned the right to be an asshole; that was already your right. That's just how you act and it's childish.

 

[Anomalism]

That's also been said about every single revolution in history, including our own.

Good luck champ.

 

[Cecilie1200]

So your solution to education funding problems is to stop all that pesky "measuring of whether or not the job is achieved" stuff? Call me crazy, but I would have gone with something like "analyzing the district budget and finding out where money's being wasted." I believe I mentioned the absolutely shitty school district for which I once worked. They made all the same complaints of "not enough funding, no supplies, waaah!!" They also paid their district superintendent the same annual salary as the federal government was paying the President of the United States at that time. (No, I am not joking.)

I said maybe there's a way to save money. I didn't say we should stop testing entirely. Stop thinking you know things that you don't actually know. It's harder to learn like that.

Fine. We'll pretend that your suggestion was marginally less ignorant than it actually was. You weren't saying quit testing entirely; you were just saying that we should look to save money in the area of one of the least expensive things the school district does, as literally the only suggestion you've come up with for saving money. And how you thought you would save money in that area without quitting testing has been, of course, completely not offered.

 

[Cecilie1200]

No, your words mean that. Again, learning to recognize how you present to others is an important part of becoming an adult.

If you know what I think better than I do there probably isn't much sense in having a conversation about it.

And now you're arguing against what you want to believe I said, rather that what I said, again.

I didn't say anything about "knowing what you think better than you do". What I said was that I know what I see from your words better than you do.

 

[Anomalism]

Fine. We'll pretend that your suggestion was marginally less ignorant than it actually was. You weren't saying quit testing entirely; you were just saying that we should look to save money in the area of one of the least expensive things the school district does, as literally the only suggestion you've come up with for saving money. And how you thought you would save money in that area without quitting testing has been, of course, completely not offered.

Do you have any ideas? If there's no money to save then why do you people always complain about the cost of education?

 

[AZrailwhale]

They pay taxes like everybody else.

I know. People call taxes theft though. I also want to know what you think is appropriate as far as tax rates go.

Everybody should pay the same tax rate. I prefer a sales tax because no one can hide from it and it encourages fiscal responsibility and savings. The less you spend, the les tax you pay. The rich will still pay the lion's share of taxes because they spend the most money, but everyone will have skin in the game. Even criminals will have to pay taxes unless they live like monks and don't spend their ill-gotten gains.

 

[AZrailwhale]

Surely something, right? I see a lot of people talk like taxes are theft. Is it not just our obligation?

Absolutely.

If you are one of the fortunate few to make big money, you should be delighted to pay taxes in order to help the less fortunate.

It sticks in my craw when these TV announcements ask ordinary people to contribute to certain charities.

We ordinary people need every penny that we have,

The rich, however, could easily cover every charity on earth.

(I am so sad when I see those ads for children in this world who were born with facial deformities. We are asked to help pay for their operations. There are really rich people in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, & Asia who could easily cover an operation for every single such child. Shame on them for not doing so!)

You see ads for those "charities" because little of the donations actually make it to the victims. Most of the money is siphoned off for those expensive ads and good salaries and benefits for the owners and employees of the "charity".

 

[Slade3200]

I dont think people should be punished because they are more successful. IE much higher tax burden. They already pay most of the taxes anyway.
They also give a lot of money and time, to charity.

They'll still be the richest Americans if they are taxed more. They live in goofy amounts of excess that's only possible because the U.S kicks ass.

Sure but that doesnt mean they should be punished.
A person making 163,301 pays 8% more in taxes than someone that made 163,300. Thats bullshit.
A person that makes half a million, pays almost 40 of their income to the federal govt. Thats almost HALF. Half of the fruit of their labor and hard work, only to be stolen from an entity that will give it away to foreigners and use it to kill a bunch of innocent desert dwellers.

Shouldn’t they pay 8% more on that 1 dollar and not on the total sum?

32% on that one dollar.

Tax rate	Taxable income bracket	Tax owed
10%	$0 to $9,875	10% of taxable income
12%	$9,876 to $40,125	$987.50 plus 12% of the amount over $9,875
22%	$40,126 to $85,525	$4,617.50 plus 22% of the amount over $40,125
24%	$85,526 to $163,300	$14,605.50 plus 24% of the amount over $85,525
32%	$163,301 to $207,350	$33,271.50 plus 32% of the amount over $163,300
35%	$207,351 to $518,400	$47,367.50 plus 35% of the amount over $207,350
37%	$518,401 or more	$156,235 plus 37% of the amount over $518,400

Yes thank you. But 8% more than the lower sum. I think the poster I was replying to was assuming the entire tax liability was 8% more by earning that extra dollar

 

[Anomalism]

I know what I see from your words better than you do.

I know the intent of my words better than you do. I know what I do and don't think.

 

[AZrailwhale]

Fine. We'll pretend that your suggestion was marginally less ignorant than it actually was. You weren't saying quit testing entirely; you were just saying that we should look to save money in the area of one of the least expensive things the school district does, as literally the only suggestion you've come up with for saving money. And how you thought you would save money in that area without quitting testing has been, of course, completely not offered.

Do you have any ideas? If there's no money to save then why do you people always complain about the cost of education?

Cut administration. When I went to grade school we had a principal, a clerk, a janitor and a nurse. Now the same school has a principal, two vice-principals, multiple clerks, a nurse, at least one "security officer" and several janitors.

 

[TNHarley]

I dont think people should be punished because they are more successful. IE much higher tax burden. They already pay most of the taxes anyway.
They also give a lot of money and time, to charity.

They'll still be the richest Americans if they are taxed more. They live in goofy amounts of excess that's only possible because the U.S kicks ass.

Sure but that doesnt mean they should be punished.
A person making 163,301 pays 8% more in taxes than someone that made 163,300. Thats bullshit.
A person that makes half a million, pays almost 40 of their income to the federal govt. Thats almost HALF. Half of the fruit of their labor and hard work, only to be stolen from an entity that will give it away to foreigners and use it to kill a bunch of innocent desert dwellers.

Shouldn’t they pay 8% more on that 1 dollar and not on the total sum?

32% on that one dollar.

Tax rate	Taxable income bracket	Tax owed
10%	$0 to $9,875	10% of taxable income
12%	$9,876 to $40,125	$987.50 plus 12% of the amount over $9,875
22%	$40,126 to $85,525	$4,617.50 plus 22% of the amount over $40,125
24%	$85,526 to $163,300	$14,605.50 plus 24% of the amount over $85,525
32%	$163,301 to $207,350	$33,271.50 plus 32% of the amount over $163,300
35%	$207,351 to $518,400	$47,367.50 plus 35% of the amount over $207,350
37%	$518,401 or more	$156,235 plus 37% of the amount over $518,400

Yes thank you. But 8% more than the lower sum. I think the poster I was replying to was assuming the entire tax liability was 8% more by earning that extra dollar

It was me. I was wrong.

 

[Anomalism]

Cut administration. When I went to grade school we had a principal, a clerk, a janitor and a nurse. Now the same school has a principal, two vice-principals, multiple clerks, a nurse, at least one "security officer" and several janitors.

If this can be done well I'm not against it, but some schools are really big.

 

[Slade3200]

Shouldn’t they pay 8% more on that 1 dollar and not on the total sum?

The tax rate should go down on higher earnings, not up. You've already paid far too much by that point, imho.

The difference is the lower tiers are funds that cover living expenses while the upper tiers represent expendable income beyond living expenses. This is why they are taxed at a higher rate. Money needs to flow and circulate for an economy to operate at a healthy level. Living expenses continuously circulate. Expendable income often gets saved and invested.

 

[Slade3200]

I dont think people should be punished because they are more successful. IE much higher tax burden. They already pay most of the taxes anyway.
They also give a lot of money and time, to charity.

They'll still be the richest Americans if they are taxed more. They live in goofy amounts of excess that's only possible because the U.S kicks ass.

Sure but that doesnt mean they should be punished.
A person making 163,301 pays 8% more in taxes than someone that made 163,300. Thats bullshit.
A person that makes half a million, pays almost 40 of their income to the federal govt. Thats almost HALF. Half of the fruit of their labor and hard work, only to be stolen from an entity that will give it away to foreigners and use it to kill a bunch of innocent desert dwellers.

Shouldn’t they pay 8% more on that 1 dollar and not on the total sum?

32% on that one dollar.

Tax rate	Taxable income bracket	Tax owed
10%	$0 to $9,875	10% of taxable income
12%	$9,876 to $40,125	$987.50 plus 12% of the amount over $9,875
22%	$40,126 to $85,525	$4,617.50 plus 22% of the amount over $40,125
24%	$85,526 to $163,300	$14,605.50 plus 24% of the amount over $85,525
32%	$163,301 to $207,350	$33,271.50 plus 32% of the amount over $163,300
35%	$207,351 to $518,400	$47,367.50 plus 35% of the amount over $207,350
37%	$518,401 or more	$156,235 plus 37% of the amount over $518,400

Yes thank you. But 8% more than the lower sum. I think the poster I was replying to was assuming the entire tax liability was 8% more by earning that extra dollar

It was me. I was wrong.

No worries, the tax code is a ***** of thing that’s always changing. I’m constantly scratching my head

 

[AZrailwhale]

Surely something, right? I see a lot of people talk like taxes are theft. Is it not just our obligation?

What you have to do is go way back in time to understand how our infrastructure came to be.
Most of the original towns were built by those who came here.
Slaves, who cost money and required maintenance, were like the labor force of the later non-slaves until FDR came along.
Prior to the 60s, only MDs, Lawyers and Business Owners were able to get a mortgage.
The majority of legislation since the 60s, has been thrust upon us by Interest Group, both poor and wealthy.
We are, in a way, currently living an illusion.

Give me a break. There have been privately-owned houses in this nation since before there was a nation. Some were built by the owners, most were bought by the owners. Mortgages are nothing new.

 

[AZrailwhale]

Less is more.

The government is very inefficient due to no competitive pressures.

How much should taxes be cut?

Well, how much is the government spending that is wasteful and inappropriate?

My guess is somewhere between sixty and eighty percent.

 

[Cecilie1200]

I most certainly am hostile and condescending when I feel it's warranted by stupidity. Unlike you, I've earned it through long life experience.

You haven't earned the right to be an asshole; that was already your right. That's just how you act and it's childish.

Are you expecting it to somehow matter to me that someone I view with derision doesn't approve of me? Did you really think, "Well, you're not a nice person and I don't like you" was going to make me cower and grovel? This isn't middle school, little one, and woke cancel culture just makes us laugh at you harder.

As I've said, I have children older than you are. I have attended public schools, I have worked for public schools, I have had responsibility for educating my own offspring, for whom I had personal and very real responsibility. In terms of the wider thread topic, I have held jobs both good and bad, I have earned money, I have paid taxes, I have owned property, and I have held the responsibility for the lives and well-being of other human beings. I have personally lived through multiple political administrations and experienced the changing attitudes and behaviors of government that went with them. I have personally dealt with government agencies on a number of issues, and even worked for a few.

In short, I have lived and experienced what you only theorize about, and I most certainly HAVE earned the right to be an asshole to any jumped-up obnoxious adolescent who wants to tell me how the world "really is" based on his daydreams and overactive hormones. Every single generation, when it gets to be your age, thinks it's more brilliant, insightful, creative, and morally superior to the ones previous. And every single generation is wrong about that.