Morality of Wealth Redistribution

[Anachronism]

The Government reaching into my pocket to take money to give to anyone else is Immoral. Regardless of whether it's the little old lady down the road (Medicare), the high school dropout in the next apartment (welfare), or some business/corporation. That is NOT the proper purpose of Government and never has been.

 

[Too Tall]

Like how the government subsidizes the oil companies? They receive money they didn't earn. Let's give that money back to the people who earned it: the taxpayers.

Stop having donor states give the taxpayer's money to states that receive it. In my state we give some of our hard earned tax dollars to other states, who haven't earned it.

Anybody who doesn't support these two things, isn't really serious about being against the redistribution of wealth.

HOW does gubmint subsidize Oil companies? Giving them TAX breaks to get the oil flowing? Producing revenue? Creating JOBS?

Tax breaks aren't giving them anything....but allowing them to KEEP their money to invest for commerce that affects the entire economy.

You Statists have alot to learn.

Because they give oil companies more breaks than they do most other industries. That's why. The oil industry isn't the only industry that creates jobs, and fuels (no pun intended) our economy.

I can't think of one other industry that gets as nice benefits from the government as the oil companies do. Now I'm not suggesting we take away people's earned money-I'm saying let's treat all industries on the same standard. The government showing preference for some industries over others isn't really an example of capitalism, if anything it's closer to another system that many people on the right bash (and rightfully so).

Perhaps you will tell the board what tax breaks that the oil companies get that other businesses do not get. I dare you!

 

[Trajan]

I take the dennis miller view; I am all for helping the helpless, but not a dime for the clueless.

 

[rightwinger]

I LOATHE giving my tax money to moochers.

Especially moochers who charge $5 a gallon for gas

 

[Too Tall]

The Government reaching into my pocket to take money to give to anyone else is Immoral. Regardless of whether it's the little old lady down the road (Medicare), the high school dropout in the next apartment (welfare), or some business/corporation. That is NOT the proper purpose of Government and never has been.

Medicare is a government insurance program that requires every one that works for a wage or a salary to have 1.45% of their gross pay sent to the government. The employer matches that so Medicare get 2.9% of every dollar earned.

Unless you think that someone should pay the premiums for insurance and than be denied the insurance claim, leave that little old lady alone.

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

Morality of Wealth Redistribution

There is no ‘wealth redistribution’ program in the United States. Food Stamps aren’t wealth redistribution because the majority of recipients are children, the elderly, the disabled, and the working poor. TANF isn’t wealth redistribution because it requires community service or a similar activity to remain eligible, it’s also time-limited. Unemployment comp and workman’s comp aren’t wealth redistribution, nor are they welfare, they’re insurance benefits. Those receiving UC are also required to job search or retrain for other work to remain eligible. SSI is for disabled individuals, SSDI is for those who have worked more than 10 years on a pay roll and become disabled, along with Medicare, and Medicaid is mostly for children, the elderly, and disabled.

The myth of ‘wealth redistribution’ is predicated on ignorance and/or political dogma designed to demonize the disadvantaged and poor for political gain.

 

[Too Tall]

I LOATHE giving my tax money to moochers.

Me too. So let's stop taxing the oil companies at a much lower rate than almost all other industries. Let's have a fair tax, or are you not for that?

Let's end the concept of donor states who fund other states. I'm tired of picking up the bill for other states, and giving them my hard earned money (and living in Florida like I do-I hope you are too).

I will wager that you will ignore this:

Exxon doled out more than $15 billion in income tax payments to foreign countries last year. U.S. tax codes allow companies to take massive deductions in light of those international charges, which knocked Exxon's federal income-tax bill down into negative territory.

That said, Uncle Sam gets his money in other ways. Including sales taxes and duties, Exxon recorded $7.7 billion in U.S. tax costs last year, and paid even more overseas.

 

[Anachronism]

Medicare is a government insurance program that requires every one that works for a wage or a salary to have 1.45% of their gross pay sent to the government. The employer matches that so Medicare get 2.9% of every dollar earned.

Unless you think that someone should pay the premiums for insurance and than be denied the insurance claim, leave that little old lady alone.

The problem is that the little old lady is getting back significantly more than she ever put into the system. Likewise, I would be more than willing to sign away my right to ever collect anything from that system to not have to pay into it.

 

[manifold]

What is your opinion about the morality of wealth redistribution?

My opinion is that it's both moral and necessary, in moderation.

 

[snjmom]

What is your opinion about the morality of wealth redistribution?

My opinion is that it's both moral and necessary, in moderation.

Yep. Best stabilizer of an economy and a society, hands down.

 

[hipeter924]

Isn't this the over-used line that claims that income inequality has something to do with standard of living, unemployment, and wages? Because it doesn't, income equality means that people are content to have bad wages, and never rise above their station.

 

[rdean]

What's your opinion on the morality of taking money from those who earned it and giving it to people who haven't? Not talking about people who cannot earn their own money but rather those who choose not to. And can you recommend any books or writings on the subject?

Seems to me basic self worth is at least in part a reflection on your independence. Or at least contributing something, your own labor or time to your family or community. This country does not like freeloaders, and while there is a certain amount of leeway in tough times like we're in now, at some point opinions change.

So are we morally right to redistribute somebody else's wealth or deny people support in an effort to incentivize them to be more productive members of society?

I agree. Piling debt on the middle class just to give trillions in tax cuts to millionaires and billionaires is just wrong. Stop the "transfer of wealth". It's not "moral". If they are not going to join the military to protect this country which protects the wealth the right wing politicians they bought gave them, then they have to pay their fair share some other way.

 

[Too Tall]

Medicare is a government insurance program that requires every one that works for a wage or a salary to have 1.45% of their gross pay sent to the government. The employer matches that so Medicare get 2.9% of every dollar earned.

Unless you think that someone should pay the premiums for insurance and than be denied the insurance claim, leave that little old lady alone.

The problem is that the little old lady is getting back significantly more than she ever put into the system. Likewise, I would be more than willing to sign away my right to ever collect anything from that system to not have to pay into it.

How do you feel about the little old lady that paid for Medicare all of her working life and died the day before she turned 65?

If you bought a million dollar life insurance policy today and dropped dead tomorrow, should your beneficiary be paid the million dollars?

My position is that insurance is insurance. The fact that the government has no business forcing you or me to buy an insurance policy is irrelevant to this discussion..

 

[Anachronism]

My position is that insurance is insurance. The fact that the government has no business forcing you or me to buy an insurance policy is irrelevant to this discussion..

I disagree. In fact that is the ONLY relevant discussion to be had on this topic so far as I'm concerned.

 

[The T]

What's your opinion on the morality of taking money from those who earned it and giving it to people who haven't? Not talking about people who cannot earn their own money but rather those who choose not to. And can you recommend any books or writings on the subject?

Seems to me basic self worth is at least in part a reflection on your independence. Or at least contributing something, your own labor or time to your family or community. This country does not like freeloaders, and while there is a certain amount of leeway in tough times like we're in now, at some point opinions change.

So are we morally right to redistribute somebody else's wealth or deny people support in an effort to incentivize them to be more productive members of society?

I agree. Piling debt on the middle class just to give trillions in tax cuts to millionaires and billionaires is just wrong. Stop the "transfer of wealth". It's not "moral". If they are not going to join the military to protect this country which protects the wealth the right wing politicians they bought gave them, then they have to pay their fair share some other way.

YOU act as the MONEY belongs to GUBMINT or something DEANY...

Wake up...it isn't.

 

[Care4all]

Like how the government subsidizes the oil companies? They receive money they didn't earn. Let's give that money back to the people who earned it: the taxpayers.

Stop having donor states give the taxpayer's money to states that receive it. In my state we give some of our hard earned tax dollars to other states, who haven't earned it.

Anybody who doesn't support these two things, isn't really serious about being against the redistribution of wealth.

or the banks, insurance companies, automakers, railroad barons of the past, airports/airlines, refineries, nuke plants, health insurers etc etc etc....

or even better, taking the SURPLUS social security taxes and using the working man's money to pay for all the things INCOME taxes were suppose to be paying for during the last 3 decades, while reducing the taxes on those who do not contribute to SS taxes over 100k of their income?

or taking hundreds of billions of tax dollars from us to give to the military industrial complex manufacturers, or the haliburtons of the world who cheat and steal and over charge us ?

yeah, i don't fancy the redistribution of wealth either.....

 

[Ernie S.]

Redistribution of wealth is immoral.

However, I have to agree with RW on this one. Today, in this country, the redistribution of wealth is not going from rich to poor. It is rather going from the middle class to the rich. That does not make it any less immoral.

We should all be paying for the services this country provide for us. That is why we should be paying taxes. We should not have to pay taxes so that corporations can have larger profit margins. $21 Billion to five oil companies... WTF? One of those companies of which made almost $11 billions in the first quarter alone.

Immie

PS Don't mind me... I'm pissed off at the world lately.

What is wrong with a corporation making 11 billion on 114 billion in revenue? That's slightly under 10% margin. Do you realize that in the same quarter Microsoft made $5.71 billion on $16.43 billion in revenues? That's about 35% margin, Huge corporations make huge amounts of profit.

 

[Care4all]

Redistribution of wealth is immoral.

However, I have to agree with RW on this one. Today, in this country, the redistribution of wealth is not going from rich to poor. It is rather going from the middle class to the rich. That does not make it any less immoral.

We should all be paying for the services this country provide for us. That is why we should be paying taxes. We should not have to pay taxes so that corporations can have larger profit margins. $21 Billion to five oil companies... WTF? One of those companies of which made almost $11 billions in the first quarter alone.

Immie

PS Don't mind me... I'm pissed off at the world lately.

What is wrong with a corporation making 11 billion on 114 billion in revenue? That's slightly under 10% margin. Do you realize that in the same quarter Microsoft made $5.71 billion on $16.43 billion in revenues? That's about 35% margin, Huge corporations make huge amounts of profit.

no huge corporations do not in general make huge profits.

walmart, a huge corporation makes about 3.5% in yearly profits...

the several corporations that i worked for had the goal of 4%-6% in profit....4% considered good, 6% considered a dream come true.

microsoft is an anomaly, and monopolistic measures helped to bring them to that level of profit margins, plus...giving credit where credit is due they created things we ALL wanted....

the oil industry has created nothing, oil comes out of the ground, whoop-die doo, and are selling a product with guaranteed consumers...not even consumers they have to win over ....we are guaranteed customers....

where microsoft had to CREATE something and make consumers love them for it...

it really is different ernie.....

i am not saying we should do anything with their EXCESSIVE profits, i'm just telling you that microsoft and exxon are NOT comparable....they are apples and oranges....

and telling you 10% profit margin...that means the money left after all ceo salaries, all payroll, all expenses and overhead, all bonuses, all benefits, the cost of goods, the airplanes and travel and shipping costs/electric/airconditioning/heating bills/supplies and marketing expenses are PAID for.....trust me, IT'S a HUGE percentage compared to MOST businesses in this country....yes, there are some exceptions, but they are just that, exceptions.

 

[Wiseacre]

The fact is that huge corps have huge amounts of money invested, and if they don't turn a decent ROI then that money goes elsewhere. And that in turn means less R&D, less expansion, fewer jobs created. Why is it okay for a little company with one million in revenue that makes $100,000 profit is okay but the trillion dollar company making the same 10% is pilloried?

 

[Mr.Nick]

I suppose I should just donate to socialism..

Wouldn't that be redundant????