Forum Post: The government is corrupt and we should all strive to pay less taxes
Posted 12 years ago on Dec. 3, 2012, 6:18 p.m. EST by Misaki
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We've seen how the government gives money to banks and corporations due to lobbying and conflict of interest with the financial industry.
This isn't stopping. The government is, even now, preparing to spend even more money by increasing the deficit, leading to inflation either now or in the future. Drone attacks in Pakistan are continuing, and who knows what other countries the military is planning to invade on the pretext of "spreading democracy".
But we can stop it. It's as simple as working less and paying less taxes. No, this will not lead to the 1% getting all the money. The $1.6 trillion in profits that corporations are making every year is only because of people at those companies doing work that leads to sales—eliminate the work and you eliminate the profits, this is what strikes are about and the sole mechanism that unions have to bargain with.
It won't lead to job loss either. Some people assume that most of the US's $16 trillion in debt is owed to China, but this is not true. We own most of our debt, or more specifically the wealthy and various government trusts do. We can afford to keep spending even if we are not working full-time. And by working less, we will create more job openings so that the millions of college students with over a trillion in unpaid student debt can start working and paying off those loans.
You are confusing a simple mind. The vast majority of employees are hourly wage earners. How will working less help them?
Here's the crazy thing about working less hours...IF you work fewer hours, you can actually get assistance whereas if you're unemployed, you can't even get food stamps. You must work at least a few hours each week in order to quality for food stamps ( at least in my state). Here's another issue that will force people to work less hours or cap their pay...many people who are teetering on the edge of earning just over 50,000 a year will want to cap their income below that number in order to get some type of tax rebate on the obamacare. It's becoming more and more obvious that in order to survive one must be either super wealthy or super poor.
This petition was targetted toward the middle class as people who would sign it:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/666/562/858/end-hunger-poverty-and-war-through-economic-innovation/
As it says, "Too much work is one of the most common regrets, yet the top 20% of households don't even spend a third of their income."
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/783/697/872/tell-the-1-how-they-can-help-the-economy/
Most of the top 1% work. http://www.nextnewdeal.net/rortybomb/who-are-1-and-what-do-they-do-living
Salaried workers are working way too many hours.
http://www.salon.com/2012/03/14/bring_back_the_40_hour_work_week/ http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/30/the-busy-trap/
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/06/the-having-it-all-crisis-isnt-about-women-its-about-the-1/258894/
I am all for that, stop paying taxes and let the congress leaches starve
So many people replying now! Polls show how low support for Congress specifically is right now, but people don't think the Federal government overall is doing much better. The % of people who view the federal government positively is the lowest among all industries, and the % who view it negatively is second only to the oil and gas industry.
We would all be able to pay less in taxes - if there were more of us paying taxes - if more of us were working ( because jobs were available ) and working for a decent LIVING WAGE.
But Business and labor practices are such that they are working against the ability to have a healthy society.
I think the best argument for what you're saying is, that we would be able to pay less taxes if we had fewer people on welfare and the government was spending less money on other things like defense and pointless wars.
And, we would have less people on welfare if they could get jobs (as you say).
Raise taxes on the wealthy!
I think one reason people are not more active in asking for this is they feel guilty about not supporting higher taxes on themselves. Or they're just misinformed about the economic effects of raising taxes on the rich. The whole bit with people being less supportive of wealth redistribution after the financial crisis.
Or they're misinformed about what the government does with tax money... http://www.gallup.com/poll/149543/Americans-Say-Federal-Gov-Wastes-Half-Every-Dollar.aspx
I have covered all of this though and people did not support the proposals at the time which logically followed.
I thought more than 70% supported raising thewealthy tax rates. Certainly mojority of voters supported Obamas position on raising wealthy tax rates.
But I certainly believe we need much more activism on this critical issue of equity on taxes.
90% taxrate on income over a million dollars!
Yes, it's around there.
But people also say that they don't want the government to create more jobs through government spending; only about 42% said they wanted the government to do that in a July NYTimes poll last year.
(The NYTimes poll has about 70% supporting higher taxes on the rich as you say)
I guess all the people can't always be right.
I believe I saw PBS news hour report it more like 80% are in support of raising taxes on the wealthy as well as remove un-needed tax breaks/loopholes wealthy subsidies and such. And that those polled who supported this - were 2 to 1 convinced that if these needed changes did not happen - it would be the RINO's in Office who prevented it. I say RINO because those who are standing in the way of health and prosperity for all - do not represent republican ideals of a healthy republic - NO - they are representing GREED/Profits Over People.
Thank you very much. I agree. Eisenhower was a repub pres in the '50's who presided over our best expanding economy and a wealthy tax rate of 90% I believe.
Doesn't have to be a party issue. One party has been taken over by corp 1% oligarch norquist Zombies.
It is and always has been issues - who supports a healthy society - and - who supports PROFITS OVER PEOPLE. The later call themselves many things but what they are is supporters/enablers of the destroyers - of - society/people/environment/world - for money and favors - and that is the party that they belong to - not the party they identify themselves as.
Well said.