Forum Post: The 10-10-10 Plan for Economic Justice:
Posted 12 years ago on Nov. 24, 2011, 9:13 a.m. EST by lgarz
(287)
from New York, NY
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
Nowadays all we hear from the Right is that the only way we can save our economy is to cut the budget, but there is another way, a patriotic way, a good old American way that no one is talking about. I think we should raise the tax rate on the top 10% by 10% for the next 10 years, and when the Budget is balanced we can talk about a tax cut.
There is nothing wrong with the American economy that raising taxes 10% on Millionaires won’t cure. When cutting a poor mothers milk money by $10 results in real pain, no one can make a credible argument that an Aristocrat who’s worth $100 Billion will suffer a hardship because he only makes $90 Billion. But, all we hear from the Right is that we have to cut the budget. And, they say that to save some faceless Billionaire what amounts to pocket change.
Simply put, to save an aristocratic Billionaire a few dollars, Republicans want to cut Grandma’s Social security, and Grandpa’s Medicaid. To save a few pennies for a Billionaire Republicans want us to fire teachers, cut Firemen pensions, and slash Police Officer salaries. To save a few bucks for Billionaires, Conservatives think we have to allow our roads to crumble, our bridges to rust away, our Airports to fall apart, and our Trains to break down. To save a few Shekels for some Billionaires, Conservatives say we can’t afford schools for our kids or Hi Speed rail for our commuters or Health Care for the sick.
In Republican world, we can’t pay for a workingman’s lung transplant, we can’t clean Snow off our streets, and Firemen have to stand idly by while a Family’s house burns to the Ground. To save a few coins for a Billionaire Republicans can’t protect New Orleans from a hurricane, or Detroit from a Depression, or New York from a stock market crash. Raising taxes 10% on the top 10% for 10 years can change all that.
Our Economy didn’t fall off a cliff because teachers were making too much money. It fell off a cliff because Billionaires were making too much money. Our economy didn’t stall because a Fireman was getting a huge pension. It stalled because failed CEO’s were getting huge “Golden Parachutes” for tanking the economy! Union worker salaries didn’t drive our economy into a ditch. Undeserved Wall Street bonuses did.
I’m not an economic genius, but it seems to me that when a consumer economy is stalled, it means you have to get more money to consumers. On the other hand, giving more money to the rich who don’t spend it, achieves nothing. Tax breaks for the super rich have never produced prosperity in America, or jobs for the middle class.
The Conservatives have been cutting taxes for the rich, and cutting middle class salaries for the last 30 years, and the result that everyone can see is that the rich are getting richer, the middle class is getting poorer, our country is falling apart, our kids can’t get a quality education, and nobody can find a good paying job. How long can a Nation stand when it’s 90% near poor and the top 10% is obscenely rich? How long can a Nation stand when the Aristocrats are making more than 200 times what the serfs make? How long can a Nation stand being half free, and half enslaved?
Things emphatically do not have to be this way. Raising taxes 10% on the top 10% for 10 years can free us all. Our Country is in real trouble, and it’s time for those who have the most to “Man Up” and do something for their countrymen. It’s time for the owners who sit on the sidelines counting their money to “Take one for the Team” that has made them so rich! It’s time for the richest Americans to make a small sacrifice to help pull our Country out of the ditch they drove us into. It is time to talk about raising taxes on the greedy, to help the needy. Because there is nothing wrong with the American Economy that raising taxes on the super rich 10% cannot cure.
The 10-10-10 plan is the way to go! And it will have the added effect of driving Fox News up the wall. A win-win for everyone.
holy fucking shit you are retarded. Occupy a classroom
Do you have anything substantive to say???
Much of what you say resonates with me. A couple of questions, however...
How many Chinese made products do you think the rich buy ?
Do you think the rich made banks wealthy by borrowing from them or was that us ?
Don't get me wrong, I do think the game has been tilted against us by the corruption of our politicians in Washington (see http://occupywallst.org/forum/we-the-people-in-order-to-a-proposal/ ), but We the People have to accept some of the blame as well ( see http://occupywallst.org/forum/the-power-of-the-people/ and the shopping guidelines I compiled from the forum at http://bit.ly/DoYourBit ).
P.S. You should also get your facts straight if you want a large number of Americans to support your plan. Look at my post summarizing 2010 census data at http://occupywallst.org/forum/inconvenient-truths-america/ . There you'll see that 84.5% of Americans say they have health insurance, 24% own our homes outright, etc. We're not in as bad a shape as you suggest, but we will be if we don't change things real soon. There's no need to exaggerate, and it only hurts your ability to sell your plan.
I will be happy to accept blame, when the privileged 1% accepts blame for their misdeeds.
I may have bought a Gazebo from China, but I didn't send thousands of Factories overseas, and outsourced millions of American jobs.
I may have borrowed money from Chase to repair my home, but I didn't Con people into taking Sub-Prime loans at usury rates with a Balloon payment that crashed the housing market.
I may have bought a Hundai, but I didn't try to bust the Auto Workers Union, and every other Union they could find, to increase my profits.
It wasn't my idea to start a Class War, but I will accept blame for fighting back as vigourously as I can.
I have my facts straight, and things are much worse than you think. I don't know where you sit, but from where I sit; 84.5% of Americans have Health Insurance, but the biggest reason for Bankruptcies is Americans who can't pay their medical bills. This isn't a statistic to me, it's real life. I have the best Health Insurance you can buy, and I still almost went Bankrupt to pay for my Heart Bypass.
24% of people may own their homes, (I do) but that means that a significant number of my neighbors are underwater! How does that tell you that things are not really that bad??? All I have to do is to walk past the White Folks on the Food line around the corner to know how bad things are. You may feel no sense of Urgency, but I do.
I may vote in every election, but I have never voted for a Republican who's job program boils down to Cut taxes and Regulations on the Rich, and pray that God Blesses America with jobs!
Reagan once said, that a Recession is when your neighbor loses his job, a depression is when you lose your job. I have been living in a depression for 30 years!
So, you may think that there is no need to exaggerate, but I think There is. Let me remind you that Barry Goldwater once said that “Extremism in defense of Liberty is no vice. And, moderation in pursuit of Justice is no virtue!
Lastly, and more importantly, I am not Stupid enough to try to sell this plan to anyone, but I will defend it from Critics. I aint running for president, I am just a writer with an agenda.
The goal I set for this piece was to set a few Republican heads on Fire, and that goal has worked out fairly well. I think rich folks need to see what could happen to them if they don't give up a few dollars in pocket change now. That's all I was trying to do.
I hear you.
Do you understand that factories went overseas in large part because we consumers always buy the cheapest products and our own companies couldn't compete with China unless they went there to enjoy the same labor rates ?
Do you understand that it is the buyers responsibility to evaluate whether he can afford a product rather than the sellers ? Why do people think they should listen to a loan broker selling them a loan any more than they listen to a car salesman selling them a car ?
Can you substantiate your statement that the largest number of bankruptcies are due to medical expenses? I've never seen that figure. I'm sorry that your situation was so distressful, but do the facts really say that's the number one reason for bankruptcy?
Your neighbors who bought their homes as homes paid what they thought was a fair price for a house they thought would be a nice home for their family. The value of that house as a home is unchanged. They are only 'underwater' if they bought the home as an investment hoping to make a quick buck after watching 'Flip That House.' Investors who gambled and lost are not victims.
I am a member of the 5%, an I am willing to pay more in taxes. That alone, however, won't fix what ails us if the general public refuses to accept responsibility for their own decisions in buying foreign goods without limit, not knowing enough about personal finance to know when they can or can't afford something, or playing amateur investor and getting caught in bubbles fueled by mass greed.
We the People need to accept a little responsibility for our condition. That's all I ask.
I understand that Factories went overseas, because the 1% didn’t want to pay American workers a living wage, with benefits. I understand that the 1% lobbied Congress for trade deals that made it possible to move those Factories, lay off American Workers, and still get a tax break. I also understand that the stuff you buy in Wal-Mart hardly ever says that it’s made in China.
I understand “Caveat Emptor”, but that don’t make it right, and it is the duty of the Government to enact laws that punish people who con people.
Can I substantiate that the biggest causes of Bankruptcies are Medical Expenses??? Can you prove that it isn’t? If you were awake at anytime during the last year, you would have seen it on the Nightly News, and it’s been in all the Papers. But, you won’t find that bit of information on Fox News. Look it up, it’s easy to find.
I agree that Speculators are not Victims, but they drove up the price of homes in my Neighborhood, and people who for the first time had enough value in their homes to get a loan from the bank to make needed repairs, are now in a bind because they have to sell, and their houses aren’t worth the money they borrowed to fix them up. They are the Victims.
Trust me my friend, if the top 10% paid and extra 10% in taxes, for 10 years, all our current troubles would be over. It’s simple math. Our problem is emphatically not that people are buying foreign goods, or that people get in over their heads with credit. Our problem is that the working man in America hasn’t gotten a decent raise in 30 years, while Multi-Millionaires became Billionaires in the same time period! Something is wrong in America, when a College Grad has to work in McDonalds to pay off his Student Loans! The Rich are too Rich, they have too much power, and their Greed will be their Downfall. That’s all I’m saying.
Well, I suppose no amount of typing is going to convince you that the people of America are not just victims and bear some personal responsibility for their ill. I won't bother trying.
I hope you and yours enjoy a wonderful holiday season ! It's not about money, it's about time with family and friends, and we can all still afford those. For some of us, it's about quite a bit more, but I won't go there. Everyone enjoys the family and friends aspect ;o)
How can you be a victim, and be responsible for your ills! How does that make sense to anyone. I said in detail that I will accept responsibility for my sins when will you accept responsibiltiy for yours.
I wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season too. unfortunatly I can't enjoy the holidays as much as I would like because the line at the food pantry around the corner gets closer and closer to my house. Forgive me for caring for my fellow Americans.
Sorry. I fixed the typo that lead to your confusion over my statement.
I do care about my fellow American's, deeply. I have already agreed I am willing to pay more taxes, and I've spent a lot of time advocating to get the money out of politics ( http://occupywallst.org/forum/we-the-people-in-order-to-a-proposal/ ), promoting excercise of our economic power ( http://occupywallst.org/forum/the-power-of-the-people/ ), and trying to change America's shopping habits to create more American jobs ( http://bit.ly/DoYourBit ). All I'm saying is that people also need to do their part and change the behaviors that help create the mess we're in.
Please try to enjoy your holiday in spite of all the darkness that surrounds you. Your fellow Americans can do without you worrying about them for just a few days.
Why do some people think it is ever "fair" to take money from soneone by force and give it to someone else?
Why is it fair to take money form someone who went to and paid for 8 years of medical school and give it to someone who droped out of High School to hang out in Washington Square Park smoking pot all day because they might go hungry.
Give a 100 different reasons why I Shouldnt vote for Newt Gingrich and i Wont otherwise I will deadline 10 am.
11-11-11
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4BEHsZG2d4&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
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How about they cut their donations to the Republican Party?
However, there is a moral viewpoint people forget.
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Are you seriously trying to tell me that someone making 120,000 a year is going to go bankrupt with and aditional 1,000 in Federal Taxes. Let's be real. Crying poverty to someone making $12,000 a year is not going to work.
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You are not by any stretch of the imagination an exception. Anybody making 120K a year is quite well off, thank you very much, and could weather a 10% increase in taxes every bit as well as you can. It wouldn't be a disaster, it would be, at best, and inconvienence.
Your neighbors & co-workers are shedding crocodile tears when they whine about cutting back, because in these times it is "Simply Unfashionable!" not to.
And, not for nothing, you would only lose an extra $12,000 in taxes if 120,000 was your NET income after deductions, OK. That means you would still have $106,000 to spend on Vacations (What the hell is that???) not the $71K you claim!
I guess owning and operating a 2,500 sq. foot home would cost a little less than the 6,800 foot home in the City that I own. I too have been responsible when borrowing, and I never made anywhere near 100K a year. So please stop speaking for everyone else as if you know something.
A 10% raise in Taxes used to provide jobs for unemployed Americans would be a tremendous boon to the economy. Much more so than the $12,000 you "Job Creators" are not using to help the American economy now.
Where can one afford a 6800 square foot home on less than $100K per year income? In my area the taxes alone would kill you.
I live on the island of Manhattan where the taxes are calculated by what you paid for your house, not what some Bean Counter thinks it's worth. I have a bigger problem paying for Con Ed, than I do for taxes. It's simple like that.
Some people call it "Superior planning and forethought!" Something that is sorely lacking in Conservative circles.
So what are the details? How much did you pay, when did you buy, exactly where in Manhattan are you? I have been looking at a property in Brooklyn (Bushwick), 4700 sq ft for $700K, but if I could get a place over 6000 sq ft in Manhattan (for a price that is affordable for someone making less than $100K) I would jump at that. How much of your house do you rent out? Renting out a large part would certainly make it more affordable, but I would rather avoid that.
And I am not sure what you mean by "taxes are calculated by what you paid for your house, not what some Bean Counter thinks it's worth." Aren't you getting an NOPV from the city every year, based on what some bean counter thinks? And the state property tax is also assessment-based.
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That shows you how much you know. Kid.
lgarz has been around the world three times, sailed the seven seas, read a thousand books, and written a few. He is a graduate of UCLA (The University on the Corner of Lexington Ave.) and has a Doctorate from NYU (New York Unemployment). Which makes it very diffucult to sell him a load of Garbage.
In addition, lgarz is a Veteran of both Foreign & Domestic wars, and he lives in a million dollar Brownstone that he purchased for $5,000 dollars.
And, he has never made over $50,000 a year, because everytime a Republican gets elected lgarz loses a whole Career.
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You are the one that's wrong. Federal Taxes are calculated on Net income AFTER deductions! So, as soon as you drop below $120,000 because of deductions, you wouldn't have to pay the 10% Tax! You model is simply not applicable.
And, not for nothing, it aint my fault that you have to have two cars to commute to work. I live in the city, have one car, and I walk to work.
I don't have a Driveway to plow, I have to park on the street along with everybody else, but if I did, you can bet your bottom dollar I would be the one shoveling it. (I can't afford a plow, OK)
I don't have a lawn to mow, but I do mow my back yard when it needs it, I also prune the roses, and sweep and shovel the sidewalk in front of my house. Do you do that? Do you even have a Sidewalk???
If you must know, my house is attached to save on heating bills, and is designed (By Stanford White) to be energy efficient. So, no, I don't have an "behemoth energy wasting McMansion. I have a Big Old House! I am a part of the 99% that has to be frugal to survive, remember. You, on the other hand, are just cheap!
When has giving the Government more money ever solved anything??? Are you serious??? You should have taken some history courses along with your Bean Counting classes. Giving money to the Government "Solved" World War II, ended the Great Depression, Built the Highway System and the Air Traffic System, that created the most prosperous nation in the world. What has starving the Government of money ever done, but cause misery, bankruptcy, pain, and unemployment.
Stop crying poverty when you're eating high on the hog, and pay your fair share! Think of it as your Patriotic Duty to your Country!
So you have a 6800 sq ft townhouse with a lawn, in Manhattan, that could be affordable to someone making less than $100K. Where exactly? When I search online, using numbers that would even be considered extravagant for someone in that income range, I can find only condos less than 1000 sq ft. When I pose my question to realtors, they laugh. Where does one find such a place? Are you interested in selling? As I mentioned in a different post, I am currently looking at a Brooklyn townhouse not nearly that size, and they want $700K.
I don't have a lawn. I have a large back yard. My front yard is for Roses, and flowers for the enjoyment of my Neighbors, and passersby.
I don't call it a Town House, cause that would imply that I have a Country House. It's a turn of the Century Brownstone designed by Stanford White, that is over 100 years old, and was built to house workers building the Brooklyn Bridge that I now call home.
I bought this house on the Upper East Side for 5K 35 years ago when it was an abandoned building and everyone was fleeing the city. I don't have a mortage because I rebuilt this home with my own two hands inside and out. Now, it's worth 1.5 Million but I still wouldn't sell. Given all that, $700K is worthy of laughter don't you think?
To own a house like mine, you would have had to be here 30 years ago with a dream, and be part Plumber, part Electrician, part Mason, part Carpenter, part Gardner, and part Visonary. (Everybody thought I was crazy when I bought this place!) Fortunately, I learned all that in Public School.
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You could say that, but I just found out that I am part of the "Near Poor" because I only make 12K a year. I don't have a problem telling OWS That! And, quite unlike most Conservatives, they wouldn't have a problem with me joining them if I were.
And, not for nothing, if I'm in the top 1/2% Something is really wrong with this Country. The Rich aint as Rich as they think they are.
How about this www.nationalday911.org
I think the problem is the global economy, not just the American economy. In the USA, Republicans and Democrats combined with voter apathy are all responsible for running the thing into the ground. Time to use the 1st Amendment right to petition the government for a redress of grievances and proceed to vote them all out if they fail to redress. Here's a plan to that affect:
https://sites.google.com/site/the99percentdeclaration/
If you fix the American Economy, you fix the Global Economy.
I agree that we should throw out the Bums who can't deliver Economic Justice, and we should all work to gether to make that happen. There is nothing wrong with the American Economy that getting rid of the Conservatives in Congress won't cure.
In the mean time we should put the Conservatives on the defensive. If the Republicans can cheer and understand a Stooopid 9-9-9 plan, than I think they will understand and fight a 10-10-10 plan with great vigor. A fight they will surely lose.
So, I'm just saying that you got to start someplace when you're negotiating, and you can get a better deal if you start at 10 and work down than to start at 3 and work down.
I don't think pointing fingers and laying blame on "them' is a worthwhile pursuit. It's a can of worms that pits people against each other when it's clear to 100% that the country is in trouble. The 1st Amendment gives the people the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances. The people in those offices need to see the writing on the wall: shape up or ship out! It has been writ large by people in the streets, "take heed of our notice to redress"
I don't think I pointed a finger at anyone called "Them." I pointed the finger at Conservatives both Republican & Democrat who the 100% can clearly see are blocking progress.
You can't fight an enemy when you don't know who they are. You have to be specific, and merciless in your assessment. Conservatives are clearly the enemy of the people.
While we do have the right to assemble in public to petition our govenment for a redress of grievences, is there a Square, a Park, a Mall, a Plaza, a Street, an Avenue, a Corner, a Gore, a spot of public land anywhere that is unencumbered by some rule, regulation, statute, directive, or local ordinance that restricts public assemblies?
If OWS cannot exercise their right to peacefully assemble in Zuccotti Park, where can they exercise their 1st Amendment Rights! And, that right there is what's wrong with our Country.
If we have Freedom of Speech why not propose a radical 10-10-10 plan when our enemies are proposing a radical 9-9-9 plan???
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Yeah, Zero!
If a Millionaire like Donald Trump can't take a 10% hit on his income for his country, he aint as rich as he says. On The other hand, how big a hit will a poor family take with a 9% hike, when they pay Zero now???
On the one hand, you're essentially talking about disposable income that they obviously don't use now, Vs. taking food out of the mouths of kids. I respectfully submit that we should take 10% out of the disposable income rather than taking the food out of the mouths of Babes.
Admittedly, a 9% hike on a poor family won't drive them into bankruptcy, but that's because they're already bankrupt!
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I don't support this 10/10/10 plan but I have to be frank. If you make $120K net, and a $20K hit is going to put you in bankruptcy, if you can't survive on $100K, you haven't got a freaking clue about money.
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Cry me a river. Other people are working multiple jobs and going bankrupt just paying rent/downpayments and buying groceries as we speak. Maybe the well-off should cut back a bit. Even if nothing changes they should because the whole neoliberal agenda of cut, cut, cut is collapsing the economy and those good incomes won't last if nothing is done.
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They didn't mind financially ruining millions and backing policies that would lead to widespread destitution and impoverishment .... and like I said, I'm not behind this 10/10/10 business, or any sort of everybody gets an equal amount or anything like that. All I want is restoration of the liberal consensus, of the principles that created things like Social Security. Nothing more.
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How did these families financially ruin millions? I don't know of any of them that got to where they are by hurting anyone else.
Look, I'm just lashing out. I'm angry. It wasn't a fair comment. We were all foolish for a very long time, white collar and blue, each in our own way. I don't want to impede the ability of people to aspire to the upper middle class. Far from it. I want to make it much easier for anyone who is able and wants to put the same work into doing, to join it, on a level playing field.
This is the biggest load of crap I have ever heard!
Absolutely nobody is paying 40% in taxes! Stop making stuff up to defend the indefensible. If people in your income bracket are paying that kind of tax, it's because they're too cheap to hire an Accountant.
Don't you get it, nobody is buying that poverty crap from you rich guys anymore! You have it, you don't use it, and it should be taxed! You should be ashamed of yourself living in the lap of luxury, and crying poverty when there are homeless families living in cars in America.
And, not for nothing, if your rich Co-workers are so on the edge that they can't afford a measely 10% increase in their taxes, they are either lying, or they haven't been living within their means.
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And, whose fault is that?
I call that piss poor planning, and lack of forethought! Typical of a Republican mind to get themselves in over their head, than complain about the Government. What ever happened to the personal responsibility youse always talk about.
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Who has a Liberal Arts degree??? I am a trade school graduate which is an investment that's still paying off for me.
I don't know anyone who makes over 100K who isn't a Republican! I live in Manhattan, the richest people in the world are my neighbors.
If you're not a Republican, not a Socialist Democrat, than what are you??? A Teabagger??? A nothing! A political bystander? Or are you just too ashamed to call yourself a Republican but cannot embrace the Democratic Party, and call yourself a Libertarian??? (A Rose by any other name....)
I'm promoting a Cash Grab??? Really??? TARP was a cash grab! Wall Street Bonuses are a Cash Grab! Barney Madoff was a Cash Grab! I'm promoting funding the Government at a level where it can do the job it's supposed to do, which as the Constitution states, is to promote the General Welfare!
Only a Rich Cheapskate would call paying your fair share in taxes a "Cash Grab"!
OK, Youse is plural in New Yorkese for YOU and your party. I'm not quoting you, I'm quoting from the Talking Points you subscribe to.
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Ok, let me clear things up for you. You are a Conservative Republican. You are just to ashamed to call yourself that.
First of all, your taxes are the lowest they have ever been, because your party has been cutting them for 30 years, but I am sure you can't admit that.
I simply cannot understand anyone who says that their taxes are so high that it doesn't pay for his spouse to work??? Really, are you that rich???
If you don't see the Government as a "Responsible Entity", perhaps it's your fault for voting for Republicans, or for not voting at all and allowing a Republican to win??? You cannot say that the Bush Admin was in any way "Responsible!"
There was an Election a few years ago, and the people who brought you TARP were pushed out of office. A new guy was elected who wanted to end "Too Big to Fail," Regulate Wall Street, and to use our tax dollars to rebuild the nation and "Stimulate" the economy. I can't think of a more productive use for my tax dollars, why do you, and the people you shill for have a problem with that???
Have you ever considered that the Government might keep expanding because the population is expanding, and people are making more money??? And, perhaps the Government is accomplishing less because it's taking in less for the job it needs to do.
Would you allow for the posibility that a "Small Government" is for a Small Country?? After all, Denmark has a small Government. Somalia has a Small Government. How does having a small Government square with America being the Greatest Nation in the world???
And not for nothing, after 30 years of starving the Government in a vain chase for smaller Government, look at where we are??? Would you concede that maybe it's time to go the other way towards a bigger more efficent Government??? NO??? I didn't think so.
I don't mean to belittle what you do, but how does sitting in front of a few dials all day operating a reactor compute to being rich enough to have your wife sit at home, and your belief that you earn it??? A Garbage man EARNS his money. A Teacher EARNS her money. A Reactor Operator..... Please. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, the world will blow up if you wasn't there. I get it.
I asked for 10% you should be able to calculate how much extra I'm talking about. It is amazing to me, that you would want the Government to take in less money, but you squeal like a stuck pig when you have to take in less money, and you're Rich! You want your Government to do more with less, while you cry hysterically if you have to do less with more. Unbelievable.
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Yeah you know what you're talking about. Most people here (and in general) have no idea how taxes work. Your numbers also don't account for stuff like state sales tax, gasoline tax, road tax, and all other "hidden" taxes nobody can get rid of.
So the Federal budget should receive no cuts at all? It should just continue to grow? Are you saying that government can do no wrong?
I didn't say the Government shouldn't get any cuts. I think all Oil Subsidies should be cut. I think all Farm Subsidies should be cut. I think the Department of Homeland Security should be cut completely, just to name a few.
I think the Government should grow along with the populations need for Government. When everybody is prosperous, (I know you call that Communism) and old people can get the Health care they need, and Children never go hungry, then the Government can start to shrink.
If you can deliver on that kind of prosperity with Tax cuts for the Rich I'm here to sell you a Bridge.
I would never say that the Government can do no wrong. But, I will say that Republican Government can do nothing Right. On the other hand, I think it's a bit disingenuous on your part to say that Government gets everything wrong. Don't make me start another list!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z9WVZddH9w
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The top one percent pay taxes at a rate of 18 percent, while the top 50 percent, which includes the top one percent, pay about 28 percent. Therefore, the top one percent are currently paying a rate ten percent less than the better-earning half of the people.
So, I say lets propose a 38% rate for the top 10%, and leave the other better earning 40% alone. What's wrong with that???