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Virtually all governance involves redistribution of wealth, and you should be damn happy about it too. In the US, the government provides us with infrastructure, police, military, firefighters, social security, medicare, medicaid, public education, unemployment benefits, etc. Thus, the question is not whether the government should redistribute wealth but how much should be redistributed. Many of us, though by no means all, believe that the government should be involved in assuring that all have access to affordable healthcare, equal opportunity in education, assistance if laid off, etc. This requires that people are taxed in order to aid the disadvantaged. If you are in favor of these types of policies, then greater redistribution may be necessary. I, personally, believe that those of us who make $250,000 can afford small tax increases so that those of us who haven't been as fortunate, or lucky, in life can see some improvement in living standards. Some will argue that those earning that much have worked hard to get where they are. Yet, this ignores the fact that many, many (far more, likely) others have worked just as hard and gotten nowhere. We are not all subject to the same opportunities. A little redistribution may be necessary to ensure that those disadvantaged by birth, or location, or circumstance, may see modest increases in their lot in life. I recognize that this is a controversial opinion, but I do believe it. I personally find it morally reprehensible that there are multi-millionaires and billionaires who can have anything they could ever need and then some while, at the same time, there is widespread and pervasive poverty.
Good post.
Furthermore - The OP may want to ponder the fact that John McCain's political inspiration, Teddy Roosevelt, was chiefly responsible for the the graduated income tax.
Also - If you favor a freeze on redistribution of wealth through tax policy, you'd not support Bush or McCain, both of whom have supported vast redistribution of wealth...FROM the treasury and the taxpayer, TO the Chinese government to whom we're now endebted and will be for perhaps generations.
There is a major difference between investment and redistribution . Money spent on education anywhere is better than money given to a corporate bottom line.
The problem is that we have free education now & many kids don't go to school or take it seriously. Why am I going to pay for further education for them? No thanks. Get serious or get in the unemployment line. Darwinism.
There is no way that ANY American should have to "share" what they have worked hard for so that someone who hasn't put in the same time, education & sweat equity. This is not the land of opportunity - THIS IS BECOMING THE LAND OF OPPORTUNISTS! Big difference.
Everyone who lives here has a FAIR chance to get public education & apply for grants, loans ect for further education. I am sick of people wanting a hand out. NO MORE! This is what is wrong with our society today. HANDOUTS. Handouts are how you keep people down. You train them to become dependent & non-productive. I see it EVERYDAY.
No, income redistribution is not the answer. PERSONAL EMPOWERMENT IS.
I hate to think of income redistribution as investment. Investment it is not. We make investment everyday with public education & yet so many kids still graduate with below average reading, comprehension and math levels. Too many kids are having babies of their own out of wedlock, causing the inability to move ahead academically or otherwise. Too many people still get welfare or welfare to work or the newest version of welfare called SSI.
No, I am not going to seek to redistribute my income. If people want to get ahead, work for it. If you fall & have bumps in the road, get up & try again. Handouts keep you enslaved.
I hate to think of income redistribution as investment. Investment it is not. We make investment everyday with public education & yet so many kids still graduate with below average reading, comprehension and math levels. Too many kids are having babies of their own out of wedlock, causing the inability to move ahead academically or otherwise. Too many people still get welfare or welfare to work or the newest version of welfare called SSI.
No, I am not going to seek to redistribute my income. If people want to get ahead, work for it. If you fall & have bumps in the road, get up & try again. Handouts keep you enslaved.
A few points worth pondering:
1. The fact that many children don't graduate or graduate with substandard reading comprehension, math ability, etc. is at least partially a result of substandard schools. Indeed, not all schools are equal; many public schools in the US are seriously underfunded and understaffed. Depending on where you are born, you may end up living near a top-notch, highly-funded school or you may end up in a terrible, crime-ridden undersupported inner city school. Can you honestly say that this is the fault of the children themselves, rather than a fault of circumstance. The sad truth is that not all children have the same education opportunities even if they have the same abilities at the beginning.
2. Children are less likely to succeed in school if they are born into poverty. Impovershed children are less likely to have good role models, are less likely to have educated parents who promote education, are less likely to have help at home for their homework. They are less likely to be healthy, they are less likely to have a chance to go to a good college. They are going to have to work a lot harder to make it as far as a kid who was born into an upper-middle class suburban household. In short, some children are disadvantaged from birth and have huge obstacles to overcome even to make a modest living.
3. Education is critical to sustainable economic development, as is adequate accessible healthcare. This is a fact recognized and promoted by organizations like the IMF and World Bank which are not exactly bastions of liberalism. The better educated our populace, the healthier our populace the better our economy. Ensuring equal access to quality education, which does not exist in the US at this time, would be a substantial boon to economic growth. The same can be said of equal access to quality healthcare, though that is a more controversial issue...
They all ready do to a degree. We have needs as a society that gov is best able to provide. Support of infrastructure a strong well regulated military etc.
Where I have a problem is when class envy gets involved and begins to punish some for success and reward non performers for their failures.
By this I mean those who are chronic abusers of our social systems.
I disagree with tax returns that exceed what the individual actually paid in. I disagree with over taxing of 401k's. I honestly feel that individuals should have the right to invest their SS in investments they believe in. If they tank the individual owns their own loss. If it succeeds they should benefit from it.
They all ready do to a degree. We have needs as a society that gov is best able to provide. Support of infrastructure a strong well regulated military etc.
Where I have a problem is when class envy gets involved and begins to punish some for success and reward non performers for their failures.
By this I mean those who are chronic abusers of our social systems.
I disagree with tax returns that exceed what the individual actually paid in. I disagree with over taxing of 401k's. I honestly feel that individuals should have the right to invest their SS in investments they believe in. If they tank the individual owns their own loss. If it succeeds they should benefit from it.
I agree with you. I have a real concern about giving "rebates" like Obama is proposing to people who don't pay taxes in the first place. That is, like you say, rewarding people who are non-performers. Not first time non-performers, but chronic non-performers.
I agree with you. I have a real concern about giving "rebates" like Obama is proposing to people who don't pay taxes in the first place. That is, like you say, rewarding people who are non-performers. Not first time non-performers, but chronic non-performers.
Exactly. This idea of well 250 grand a year folks can afford an increase is bogus class envy. That is assuming for some reason that those folks don't earn their salary, or atleast don't work as hard for it. I make about 75g a year. I know for a fact I am not under the same pressure as an upper level manager where I work. Nor is my decision space as large. Top that off with I have more job security than they do. I don't even like most of my managers but at the same time I understand why they make more.
I am more of a flat tax no loopholes no deductions kind of guy.
Exactly. I am more of a flat tax no loopholes no deductions kind of guy.
I would love to see that type of tax. However, when you consider the amount of people who make a (good) living off the existence of our horrendous tax code (accountants, politicans, tax attorneys, etc.) you'll never see something so simple implemented.
I would love to see that type of tax. However, when you consider the amount of people who make a (good) living off the existence of our horrendous tax code (accountants, politicans, tax attorneys, etc.) you'll never see something so simple implemented.
I would love to see those sob's take the dive. especially the tax lawyers.
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You make me want to pull my hair out
