Forum Post: +++++++ Who knows who is rich ? +++++++
Posted 12 years ago on Nov. 22, 2011, 10:20 p.m. EST by mrjim1
(21)
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How can you folks tell who is rich ? Further How can you tell what the rich pay for taxes. There are so many tax loop holes I know you can't figure percentages.
What is your plan ? do you just favor taking all their money away from them ? Then give it to who ? I don't get this whole take over thing.
You can tell a person is rich if they have enough money when they need it. A person is rich when they have access to health care when they need it, when their bridges, roads, highways, gas pipelines, and infrastructure in general are in good working order, when they feel empowered to improve a dysfunctional situation, like neighborhood blight, etc. People are rich when they can improve their circumstances.
At present only a few people are "rich" in this sense. Many neighborhoods suffer from gang problems and unemployment.
In this age of advanced technology, there is no reason we can't all feel "rich" in the ways described above.
If you've got your health, safety, and a financial cushion in case of emergency (car repairs, broken sewer line, unforeseen maintenance issues, for instance), you're rich. You probably have rewarding work, family, friends, and health. This makes a person rich.
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It's an old game. The tax rate is high (45%, too high), so now the politician can give out favors, aka tax loopholes (breaks). If tax loopholes are depleted, like President Obama has called for, then you'll see businesses possibly going under, but definitely layoffs. A flat tax that's reasonable is better than this circus we have now.
PS lets not also forget that President Obama said the banks had to take the bailouts, though many didn't want to - this was to hide which banks were paying the corrupt leaders.
Taxes right now are the lowest they have been for everybody since before the Great Depression. At their peak, in 1944, the top tax rate was 94% on anything over $400,000, I think, taxes stayed in that high range until the early 1960s and during this time, the economy boomed. Instead of paying themselves hundreds of thousands of dollars, business owners "redistributed" that wealth at their discretion into their companies.
But that's not what Occupy is about. It's mainly about holding those responsible for the economic downfall of our nation accountable, instituting laws to better regulate banks and trading, and ending corporate influence in politics. Higher taxes on the wealthy are definitely on the agenda, but I think I'm among the few that would support a return to '44-'64 tax rates, adjusted for inflation.
Personally I don't mind people making money, even lots and lots of money, as long as they subvert our democracy and disenfranchise the American voter in the process. These protests should not be centered around "wealth redistribution," but it should be centered around a "political influence redistribution." Right now we have corporations and other special interests using their money to "speak" as if they represent millions of Americans. The $50 or $100 an average American citizen may give to a campaign becomes meaningless when you have corporations giving millions to buy off politicians. Here's my 2 cents on what I think needs to happen:
For decades now the corporations and special interests have had our "representatives" bought and paid for (both on the right and the left). Don't get distracted by the symptoms - we need to address the root cause. Concentrating our efforts on getting the money out of our politics is the best way we can create an environment in which further reforms can be realized. Until we end the current system of legalized bribery (campaign donations) and paid lobbying our politicians will continue to be the LAP DOGS of the corporations and special interests. What we need first and foremost is real, loop-hole free CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM!!!! If the corruption is not dealt with first, the chance of any other meaningful reforms becoming a reality is almost zero - the special interests will just use their money to buy votes and put forward bills that create loop-holes or otherwise twist the law in their favor. If we want our children to live in a country where there vote matters, we need to get the money out of our politics, otherwise they will increasingly become the 21st century version of the "landless peasant." Spread the word - End the LEGALIZED BRIBERY!!! CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM needs to be THE main goal of the protests!!!
Thank you.
You made a very logical point regarding "political influence redistribution." I hadn't really thought about all of that. The government makes too many decisions based on these groups, particularly with how to misuse our tax money. And I agree that wealth distribution is not the solution, and we don't need to raise taxes (except perhaps for the extreme wealthy that have loopholes allowing them to pay next to nothing) .
I agree with your position.