Everyone supposed to have skin in the game - but when will the 47% who pay no fed. income tax going to pay their share?

classic liberal stupidity. The housing/banking crisis was caused by horrible govt policy, so your solution is to ask the govt to rescue us? You play right into the hands of the politicians who must chuckle & shake their heads at how easy it is to manipulate the masses.

You cite a couple of minor tax deductions as the reason 47% pay no fed income taxes? Not exactly an accounting whiz, are we?

the top 10% of wage earners pay approx 72% of fed income tax, while the bottom 50% pay less than 2%. How much more rigged does the system have to be for you to quit whining about the rich not paying their fair share?

We would gladly pay more taxes if we got paid more money but all the rich people bought all the big companies, stole the retirement funds, and moved all the good jobs to another country while underpaying us who are lucky enough to find a job still here in the U.S. Since the Gov't hasn't realized this and the tax rates are too low for the rich people, the gov't has to keep borrowing resulting in a huge debt.

I'm not complaining though. My dad had to share a bedroom with 4 brothers and 3 sisters growing up and I have plenty of rooms in the foreclosure house I bought cheap a couple years ago.

HAIRY REED wrote:

the top 10% of wage earners pay approx 72% of fed income tax, while the bottom 50% pay less than 2%. How much more rigged does the system have to be for you to quit whining about the rich not paying their fair share?

How much do those top 10 percent earn? If you're not going to answer that, then your post is entirely worthless.

you're entirely worthless. Ever heard of google search? Do your own research.

top 10% earn 45% of all AGI, btw..

I know what the top 10% earn, but everyone else? No they don't. If you post one stat you've got to post the other.

random a hole wrote:

luv2run wrote:

Here is my idea: everyone pays 10% income tax and every dollar earned. No deductions. No cap. Of course I prefer the FairTax (www.fairtax.org).

So your idea is an overall regressive tax policy?

can you read ??

flat tax =\= regressive tax

take econ 101, reading 101, and get back to us please.

DWIGHT SCHRUTE begat POMPATUS OF LOVE begat CHRIS MATTHEWS begat HAIRY REED...what will the next handle be?

The flat tax is really a dumb idea and its not even a conservative idea. The only good elements of it is the elimination of all loopholes and some amount of a standard deduction (depending on the various flat tax plans).

Almost all American leaders, from the founding fathers to well into the 20th century, believed in a progressive tax system if you have any tax system at all.

The only reason it gets traction today is because certain wealthy people who have in roads to the media love it. At the same time the current system is so bad that compared to the status quo it doesn't seem too bad to many Americans. That doesn't mean its not a terrible idea.

required reading before posting in this thread?

http://taxfoundation.org/article/distribution-tax-burdens-and-tax-benefits-equitable-testimony-scott-hodge-us-senate-committee

No it isn't required reading. Its just some politcal hack who doesn't know any better than the typical letsrun poster what a tax system should do. A tax system shouldn't be "neutral". Nor should it be geared towards "economic growth". Why should there be zero taxes on pollution just for the sake of growing the economy?

bmcpool strikes back wrote:

required reading before posting in this thread?

http://taxfoundation.org/article/distribution-tax-burdens-and-tax-benefits-equitable-testimony-scott-hodge-us-senate-committee

the enemy is not the 200,000aire.

that should be the goal of the average man to try to achieve by just doubling or tripling your current salary. isn't that a nice opportunity in america?

i think hairy reed has got it right. the "rich" neighbors who live in mcmansions already pay their fair share. the corporations with their campaign donations should pay more. also wall street firms who steal money from the public.

again, the enemy should not be the local 200,000aire who got lucky or worked hard up the ladder after many years. america should be the land of opportunity and kept that way.

I notice the only people balking about this are the affluent.

All this taz hike is just gloss and I do mean lip gloss.

Reagan was the one who cut the tax rate from 70 percent to 28 percent. Basically the tax increase restores the equality.

And lest no forge that you too can become a jean genie by happenstance and trots on the highwire.

I love you all. I'm going to lay down and say goodnight sweatheart!

HAIRY REED wrote:

classic liberal stupidity. The housing/banking crisis was caused by horrible govt policy, so your solution is to ask the govt to rescue us?

Do you mean deregulation?

I don't have to post jacksh&t, pal. Do your own search

stay tuned!

No Way wrote:

I'm not saying that you're 100% wrong, but people who make this arguement ignore a pretty big fact.

Everyone who makes a paycheck gets money withheld from it, right? The reason that these people "don't pay taxes" is because they get it all back, right? What do you think that money is doing all year? It's being invested, spent, whatever by the government. In essence, these people are giving the government an interest free loan. It might not be as much as what some other people pay, but it isn't like they're not contributing.

Not only that, but they're still paying sales tax, property tax (whether directly or indirectly it doesn't really matter), and paying whatever other taxes and fees may come their way.

You are making the wrong response - quite simply, whatever tax any resident of the US pays IS their fair share, as determined by the US Government (i.e. the representatives that we elected SPECIFICALLY to represent our interests, and to determine what is a fair tax rate for every resident), and if you don't think that rate is fair then it is up to you to elect a representative who will enact your opinions.

Deregulation?? What other BS will you so easily be manipulated to believe? The rich don't pay their fair share? The tooth fairy will leave a shiny nickel under your pillow?

Do you know anything at all about the Community Reinvestment Act? Do you understand how Fannie & Freddie operated in the 90s & 2000s? No, you don't - but you can go around regurgitating some soundbite you heard Rachel Madcow say & act like you know something.

I actually agree with Generic ID on this. We like to blame our politicians - and they are pretty much low life scum - but WE put them in power & we're the ones not doing enough to replace them..

my name is Lance wrote:

Deregulation?? .

Yes, deregulation. The financial industry was running amok after W let them loose and we paid big time for that error. Once Obama got them back into the barn, the economy started its recovery. Try to keep up, Lance.