We make 250,000/year. I'm not a f***ing billionaire

Maybe if you bought some American cars for once, our economy would be a little better. Then we wouldn't need to tax rich folks like you.

It's selfish purchases like those that have put Americans out of work. By neglecting our industry, you've helped suppress the middle class. Why should people sympathize for you and your upper class when you've shown no regard for the other classes yourself?

Ho hum wrote:

How does this work? Almost all tax revenue is spent domestically. Why doesn't government-funded economic activity count?

All "economic activity" isn't equal. The government squanders and destroys would-be investment capital by diverting it to things that nobody needs nor wants and that nobody would ever buy voluntarily on the free market. As a practical consequence, we now have license plates, tabs, emissions tests and driver's licenses, but no gas to put in our cars because we can't drill for enough oil here. Government destroys things of value for the sake of promoting things of no value.

I agree with the OP wrote:

My whole point is that you can't fault the OP for providing a nice environment for his family. Can he live in a crappy area in Alabama where his money goes much farther, yes. But he chooses this lifestyle. I don't feel bad for him, yet I would never consider him to be rich.

I agree with you entirely, except for the last line. He has many more options than most.

Smooth Daddy wrote:

we can't drill for enough oil here

What's the plan when there's no more oil?

Smooth Daddy wrote:

Ho hum wrote:

How does this work? Almost all tax revenue is spent domestically. Why doesn't government-funded economic activity count?

All "economic activity" isn't equal. The government squanders and destroys would-be investment capital by diverting it to things that nobody needs nor wants and that nobody would ever buy voluntarily on the free market. As a practical consequence, we now have license plates, tabs, emissions tests and driver's licenses, but no gas to put in our cars because we can't drill for enough oil here. Government destroys things of value for the sake of promoting things of no value.

So you're saying that license plates, tags, emissions tests, and drivers licenses are things of no value? Really????

And what exactly are things that the government wastes its money in that you claim squander and destroy investment capital?

History Buffy

That's not what happened when Reagan raised tax rates.[/quote]

The operative phrase is "all other factors being equal." Any time there is a tax increase, the result is that future economic growth is less than what it would have been if taxes has remained lower. People who want higher taxes on those who earn more than them are forced to resort to citing statistics, which do not prove causation, to create the illusion of scientific credibility.

Jeff Wigand wrote:

What's the plan when there's no more oil?

I'm not a would-be societal planner. The market will find a much better solution than whatever stupid idea you concoct out of sheer jealousy for therest of us to accept.

ppoldjd wrote:

So you're saying that license plates, tags, emissions tests, and drivers licenses are things of no value? Really????

That's exactly what I'm saying my good fellow. License plates, tabs, emissions tests and drivers licenses do absolutely nothing to improve my quality of life or well-being.

Aside from "They can," can anybody explain why people who make more pay a higher PERCENTAGE? It's ALREADY a perecentage, which obviously means that those who make more are ALREADY contributing more (often MUCH more) to support the government. But that's not good enough. They have to pay a higher percentage. Oh, no, wait, that's not good enough, either, they have to pay an EVEN higher rate, or they're not paying their fair share. What utter BS. BTW, not rich, never will be. I think that it's called fairness, and lack of envy.

Smooth Daddy wrote:

The market will find a much better solution than whatever stupid idea you concoct out of sheer jealousy for therest of us to accept.

Really? When did the market build the interstate highway system in America? Has the market benefited from the interstate highway system?

Aside from "They can," can anybody explain why people who make more pay a higher PERCENTAGE? It's ALREADY a perecentage, which obviously means that those who make more are ALREADY contributing more (often MUCH more) to support the government. But that's not good enough. They have to pay a higher percentage. Oh, no, wait, that's not good enough, either, they have to pay an EVEN higher rate, or they're not paying their fair share. What utter BS. BTW, not rich, never will be. I think that it's called fairness, and lack of envy.

Well if you make 250,000 a year your taxes aren't going up. Becasuse your taxable income would have to be 250k. And with all deductions you are no where near.

I don't think that 250K per year is RICH either. This is especially true if you live somewhere like the NY metro area or in the CA cities. However, I totally think we should go back to the Clinton era tax rates and am more than ready to make a little sacrifice to get back to an economic balance. George W Bush was the worst President. He made a HUGE mistake cutting the tax rates. The budget went from balanced to hell at that point. I would like to see all of his tax cuts expire and have everyone share in the sacrifice. I also definitely want to see budget cuts. I am fine letting everything go to the deadline. I think it is bull to call it a fiscal "cliff". We are not going to crash and die. The problem is the people out of work and the huge debt we are accumulating. The people who have jobs should not be complaining. Also, if you are making that much, you should not be living hand to mouth and bitching about your bills. You should have been maxing out your 401k for decades and have a multi-million nest egg.

$180K is the top 20% percent. I don't remember the figure, but you're probably also in the top 5%. You're not a millionaire, but you are by no means middle class, or even a typical American. Even considering your expenses, your net gains will more than likely be far over that of the median family income, which if memory serves me correctly is around $40K.

Progressive Tax? wrote:

Aside from "They can," can anybody explain why people who make more pay a higher PERCENTAGE? It's ALREADY a perecentage, which obviously means that those who make more are ALREADY contributing more (often MUCH more) to support the government. But that's not good enough. They have to pay a higher percentage. Oh, no, wait, that's not good enough, either, they have to pay an EVEN higher rate, or they're not paying their fair share. What utter BS. BTW, not rich, never will be. I think that it's called fairness, and lack of envy.

The decreasing marginal value of the dollar. If I make $50k per year, those dollars are pretty valuable. If I make $5Mil per year, the dollars are less valuable. If you don't believe that, take it to an extreme. How valuable is a dollar to me, if I make $10 Trillion per year? Money does not matter at all at that point. That's why you see guys like Bill Gates just giving away $250Mil. He doesn't give a sh!t about $250Mil. It's nothing to him.

I make about $200k per year and I live a pretty extravagant life compared to the average person. I have a lot of friends that make around $50k per year. I hang out with them, and I see how hard it is for them to get by on $50k per year. I essentially have $150k to shart away compared to them. So, the value of that $150k to me is lower than my first $50k that pays for necessities.

When someone gives me $1000 or I have a house repair that costs $1000, I hardly care. Because I have $150k of money above and beyond what I really need.

No, he is rich. Being rich is about income not where you live. Otherwise a multimillionaire wouldn't be considered rich just because he chose to live in Dubai.

The OP does not have to maintain his current spending level in order to continue making his level of income.

There is a very simple way to address any increase in taxes levied by Obama on the $250K crowd. Don't pay them! Have your fat aszed accountant come up with a way to offset any increase in your taxes with offsetting increase in deductions. Very simple. Same way the head of the IRS, Tim Gheitner decerased his tax burden.

History Buffy

That's not what happened when Reagan raised tax rates.[/quote]

Smooth Daddy wrote:

The operative phrase is "all other factors being equal." Any time there is a tax increase, the result is that future economic growth is less than what it would have been if taxes has remained lower. People who want higher taxes on those who earn more than them are forced to resort to citing statistics, which do not prove causation, to create the illusion of scientific credibility.

There is no "illusion". Facts are facts.

Please explain why you think a "balanced budget" via tax hikes rather than cutting spending has anything to do with a healthy economy. The money to run our bloated federal government has to come from both taxation and borrowing, and both taxation and borrowing have negative effects on the private sector. You're just taking numbers from column A and sticking them into column B and expecting miracles to happen. Either way, money is being sucked out of the private sector to fund the idiocracy. Either way, people are still losing their jobs due to the suffocation of the private sector.