A lot more jobs created by billionaires than folks in double-wides.
For the record, I agree. The wealthy take the risks and get the rewards. One of those risks is employing people, creating and maintaining jobs. I had many business owner clients over the years, I was a business owner, and I know full well how difficult the whole thing is. I had a shitload of business clients over the years. I wrote a freakin' book and several magazine articles on the financial challenges business owners face.
But I'm dealing with reality and how to address a massive and growing problem. That's it.
First, not all billionaires are business owners, and there is not a linear correlation with what they do with their money and how it affects others. There are many things the wealthy do with money that has virtually zero affect on low income Americans. No "trickle down".
Second, as I've mentioned elsewhere in this thread, I think we should keep business taxation as low as we can. That still allows a business owner to succeed and grow in any way they want. That allows the business owner to pay themselves as they choose and build equity in the business. It's on the back end that the taxation comes. I also said that this assumes we maintain the same system, which allows for deductions, credits, etc.
Third, the reality is that, in any socioeconomic system (from capitalism to communism), there will always be people who have a natural ability to succeed within that system significantly better than others. Do I personally want to set the guy in the trailer park adrift because he lacks the capacity to build wealth for others? I do not.
Fourth, wealth disparity is growing rapidly, and as it continues to, people are getting angrier and angrier. It's a right wing populist wave this time, and when they're still pissed, it will be a LEFT wing populist wave next time. Neither one is going to work. Perhaps we should be smart about this and not make it worse for people at the bottom, before we have our own fucking French Revolution.
Bottom line: Is it "fair" that we tax the wealthy significantly more than we tax the poor?
No. It sure isn't. But we don't have many options here, and the wealthy can shoulder the burden one helluva lot easier than the poor can. This is where and how we decide what kind of a society we are, and if we want an oligarchy.
I know you disagree, you're more into "every man for himself", but that is my point here.
