The top 10% have 90% of the wealth. I find it hard to believe that raising taxes on them won't solve our problems.
When the rich paid their fair share, we had balanced budgets.
The top 1% already pay 70% of all income taxes paid. The wealthy also pay more in property tax, sales tax and every other kind of tax. If they were taxed at 90%, the collected tax would run the government for 8.5 days and not touch the debt at all.
You might find it hard to believe, but that doesn't change the facts that the rich just aren't that rich. There are no trillionaires in the world. Then too, there is the idea that even if the rich are heavily taxed, it can only be done one time. 1,700 of America's wealthy left the country last year alone. They paid the taxes due, but there will be no more. Then too, taxes depends on the continued efforts of the greatest producers to generate income. They don't have to generate anything. They can take what they have, close the business and generate nothing, like Hostess did.
If taxing the rich was a solution, California would not be in the fiscal straits that it is.