|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Should we tax the wealthy,or continue to pay our heroes like chumps?
Posted: 10/20/2006 2:44:08 AM | The system I would like to see is a middle ground between absolute socialism and absolute capitalism. Where we meet a few priorities like healthcare for all,education for all and a livable wage for all workers. Especially when your company is reaping great profits.Look at Wall-Mart!! They have people who work full-time hours for part -time wages and few or no benefits.Yet the Walton family alone is worth 80 Billion dollars.
I believe in the work your way up system we have,but feel there is too many people left behind in this system.
What we need is more people like Gates and Buffet who realize they have more than enough money for themselves and want to share these resources with people who don't have them. Because lets face it,that's all money is RESOURCES!! Other than that it's just colored paper that can be used for kindling in a fire!!
I just find it weird that we can spend over 400 Billion dollars in three years over in Iraq,but come up with fractions of that amount for are own.
What we need is more educated voters,and people who know how to lead all the people. Not just the people who give them their campaign money!! Democrats and Republicans!!
I feel were all in this American Experience together,and should share all our resources together. I don't feel all rich people are devils and all poor people are saints,but know a strong middle class is what keeps a nation strong. And are middle class is getting smaller for are percentage of growth. That to me will hurt all of us (rich and poor)!!
I just hope we can all be civil with each other when talking about this issue or any issue.Because we are all Americans!!! Except for a few of you Canadians...lol.....Your all right with me!! | |
|
| Should we tax the wealthy,or continue to pay our heroes like chumps?
Posted: 10/20/2006 6:36:17 AM |
The system I would like to see is a middle ground between absolute socialism and absolute capitalism. Where we meet a few priorities like healthcare for all,education for all and a livable wage for all workers.
Dude you live in OZ. And thats not a bad thing.
Incentive
Risk
Reward
I am with you on the Health Care and Education.
When you guarantee work and stable pay for anyone that shows up at the door you basically take away incentive to improve and gain in life. That would be Incentive.
Take away Incentive and no one takes Risk.
These to things are the items that stir the pot for inovation.
Once you kill that that everything goes stagnant. | |
|
| Should we tax the wealthy,or continue to pay our heroes like chumps?
Posted: 10/20/2006 7:37:33 AM | I tend to lean toward funding social programs for some things because I and most of society have benefited tremendously from them. Social Security, public education, public health, etc; have kept up a good standard of living for everyone who wants it in the US.
However, I wouldn't want to see the US become what some nations in Europe have become, where a person can just choose not to work and sponge off society.
I don't think it's possible to have a society where things are 50/50 betweeen private enterprise and socialism. That would be a top down type of government and that's what made the Soviet Union and other such societies very weak. They're not able to respond to economic changes and crises as well as the US is.
However, I think our current way of finding solutions where government interferes the least it can in ordere to find workable solutions is the best method. Sometimes government regulation is needed to make something work and sometimes it just becomes a big stumbling block that people who deal with the problem have to work around to find real solutions.
There will always be arguments for both sides, but hopefully the more reasonable solutions will win.
I think we've got the right system, but the solutions need more fine tuning and government should be less controlled by big money. Campaign financing should be HEAVILY regulated.
Sometimes I think it would be better to just give all candidates a small amount of money to run on and say "here", rather than make it possible for them to collect MUCH MUCH more money than they actually need (or spend) and be able to claim it as personal income when they retire. That's the way it is now, and as far as I'm concerned, it's just flat out BRIBERY. | |
|
| Should we tax the wealthy,or continue to pay our heroes like chumps?
Posted: 10/20/2006 9:55:26 AM | That Guy Him.... what you forgot, was during WWII income tax was created to fund the war. It was noted by parliment that it was only going to be a temporary tax. After the war was paid for, the tax would be abolished. It hasn't been done yet!
The different provinces in Canada have different tax levies. For example, Alberta only pays GST. They are not subject to a provincial tax. That is a province who has it shit together. All of their tax revenues are being shipped east.
Not to mention they have a better recycling system out there. Every can, bottle, juice box can be taken to a recycler and they are refunded for it. It makes you wonder where are the recycling dollars going in the province of Ontario? It certainly isn't going back into the tax payers pockets. It is staying within the system.
The manufacturers increase the cost to cover the refundables, we in turn pay for it, and yet it is the municipalities that take care of the recycled goods. How many billions of dollars per annum is the province putting into their already lined pockets? | |
|
| Should we tax the wealthy,or continue to pay our heroes like chumps?
Posted: 2/16/2007 3:02:23 PM | Tax them! I'm for progressive tax and having an inheritance and estate tax as well. Yes OP I too see what's wrong with the picture:
Operah may be piss wealthy, but in spite of that I wouldnt wan't to date her even if I could  yet many woman wan't to date Donald Trump and see nothing that special about him other then his "financial resources" sure, he may be a great guy in real life, but all the woman see is the money! If he bothered to read a book on how to please a woman and make her wet and attracted he wouldnt have divorced in the first place :D Sure let the wealthy keep there Continental Bentley GT's, Wood Yachts, and collect castles, but NOT at the expense of the poor and suffering is what I'm saying. | |
|
| Should we tax the wealthy,or continue to pay our heroes like chumps?
Posted: 2/16/2007 6:07:10 PM | um... we don't "tax" wealth, we "tax" income. you could be worht 50 billion dollars and make 50,000 k in income a year and you would only be "taxed" on that 50,000k a year. okay, it isn't very likely but it could happen...and in case you wondering why i put the word "tax" in quotations it's because such a form of "taxation" is really stealing. and as far as oprah goes, it's her money and she can do what ever she wants with it. besides, why should you care if someone else is rich? why should it bother you if oprah has a thousand houses all over the world all worth 200 mil a piece? so what? if you want to be rich too, well, then go for it. noone is stopping you! did you ever think that maybe we could afford to pay policemen, firefighters etc more if the gov. didn't keep overspending on worhtless programs that don't work? just a thought...
lar | |
|
| Should we tax the wealthy,or continue to pay our heroes like chumps?
Posted: 2/16/2007 8:27:35 PM | Take "Oprah" for example. I like Oprah and feel her show does many good things to inform people about important issues. But does she deserve a 42 million dollar personal jet and homes valued over 100 million dollars around the country?
Oprah did not force her self on anyone, it is the media and public desire for entertainment, although Orpah does have some interesting shows, some even educational. We put these people on pedestals, look at Spears, Hilton and others, who thrive on public attention, and we give it to them.
Just look at some of the threads here about politics, and then look at the ones about a celebrity, see which one gets more attention. I do agree the people who risk their lives everyday deserve more, there's a lot to be said about a person who places their life on the line for others, everyday.
Of course the wealthy get tax breaks, which in turn places the tax burden on the middle and lower classes, we can thank our public officals who pretty much guarantee them this privilege.
| |
|
| Should we tax the wealthy,or continue to pay our heroes like chumps?
Posted: 2/17/2007 9:57:03 AM |
besides, why should you care if someone else is rich? why should it bother you if oprah has a thousand houses all over the world all worth 200 mil a piece? so what? if you want to be rich too, well, then go for it. noone is stopping you! did you ever think that maybe we could afford to pay policemen, firefighters etc more if the gov. didn't keep overspending on worhtless programs that don't work? just a thought...
And why must you defend the "upper" class? It bothers me because that's enough money to end starvation in the third world and help the economy of "developing" nations, plus theres a problem if over 50% of the wealth is owned by only 1% of the population, when people have to choose between rent or a car payment, or paying for college or your rent you know there's a problem with this society a class system, simply put, is unsound.
And what programs would those be? Right! Abstinence education programs in schools, funneling millions into the lobbyist pockets, and yet more millions wasted to smear the democrats. | |
|
| Should we tax the wealthy,or continue to pay our heroes like chumps?
Posted: 2/17/2007 10:00:07 AM |
I do agree the people who risk their lives everyday deserve more, there's a lot to be said about a person who places their life on the line for others, everyday.
Of course the wealthy get tax breaks, which in turn places the tax burden on the middle and lower classes, we can thank our public officals who pretty much guarantee them this privilege.
Thank you! 
If the "upper" class got taxed the way they should be they'd still be able to keep all there stuff, and at the same time a dude in a one bedroom apartment can still afford college, rent, AND food, making him datable in a real sense so he won't have to fake security to get the kind of girl he wants. | |
|
| Should we tax the wealthy,or continue to pay our heroes like chumps?
Posted: 2/17/2007 10:46:41 AM | Flat tax is not good for working people.
"Poor" means, how much of your income you spend on basic needs; food, shelter, clothing.
By switching to a sales tax, you force people who have the least disposable income, to pay the highest rate of tax, while those who can save more, pay a lower rate.
I agree with the person who said we need progressive taxation, that rich people would not be rich if they hadn't benefitted from living in a peaceful and prosperous society. | |
|
| |
| Should we tax the wealthy,or continue to pay our heroes like chumps?
Posted: 2/18/2007 11:45:35 AM | ^^^Amen! The R's have been screwing all of our heroes for years.
I also see rich people getting undeserved special breaks just because they have alot of money. At a local bank, if you want to invest in a money market account, those investors with less than 25,000 in the account get a paltry 1.6 % while those with over $100,000 get 4.1%! I think this is very wrong, and very unfair to the people who need the money the most. I wrote to the bank's CEO but have not gotten any response. I will continue to write until I get a response from the bank. It is high time that all of us here took the time to write to bank CEO's to get them to stop giving special breaks to rich people. Rich people can help themselves, thank you very much!! | |
|
| Should we tax the wealthy,or continue to pay our heroes like chumps?
Posted: 2/18/2007 1:11:45 PM | Hey, all:
I have long felt that the income made by the most wealthy people in the world is nothing short of obscenity--sheer selfish narcissistic obscenity. In the U.S., a much higher income tax rate would help redistribute SOME of that money so that teachers, firefighters, and the military could be paid more and taken care of more. I have said for many years if I were a dictator (benevolent of course) teachers would make bankers' salaries and bankers would need 2 f u c k i n g jobs.
For anyone who proposes such things--FLAT TAXES are highly regressive and are contrary to this interest--if you don't know what "regressive" means, you need to learn, and if you do know, you should be ashamed for your thoughtlessness.
David
Messages done with sustainable energy, with Wind and Sun! | |
|
| Should we tax the wealthy,or continue to pay our heroes like chumps?
Posted: 2/18/2007 10:51:35 PM | darkmagus~
...you said...'And why must you defend the "upper" class? It bothers me because that's enough money to end starvation in the third world and help the economy of "developing" nations, plus theres a problem if over 50% of the wealth is owned by only 1% of the population, when people have to choose between rent or a car payment, or paying for college or your rent you know there's a problem with this society a class system, simply put, is unsound'.....
LOL! the reason i defend the upper classes is because you are attacking them. the last time i checked there was no law against being rich. being rich is a byproduct of doing what you love and doing it well. you could be rich too you know. if you are rich you would be in a better position to help people and do some real good in this world rather than telling other people how they should spend thier money! it's not like there is one giant pie out there with a finite amount of wealth to go around... wealth is created... people create new products and create markets for them...
feeding the third world and helping the economy of developing nations... lol! i suppose you think all that aid money that is sent over there... all that debt that bono talked the industrial nations into "forgiving" doesn't mean anything, right? well, the last time i checked, one could do a lot more good in this world if they had something to do it with! that is, you have to work from a position of strength. a poor man who is starving isn't going to be able to do much to help another poor man that is starving now is he?
the problem with this whole matter is that these nations are poor because they are politically starved. when you do not have a functioning government that provides rule of law that allows commerce to take place, then there is not going to be much foreign investment, which these countries need desperately. as a matter of fact, these societies truly end up resembling a "brutish" one. no business can take place internally and external trade.. well, people do not invest in war torn countries with unstable political situations. it's a bad investment. also, much of the aid that has gone over to many of these countries has only ended up in the pockets of a war lord or tribal leader who either ends up selling it on the black market, or keeping for his own miltia. and...the people still end up starving...
....'And what programs would those be? Right! Abstinence education programs in schools, funneling millions into the lobbyist pockets, and yet more millions wasted to smear the democrats'....
lol! what are you talking about? the programs that don't work are some of what i listed above. of course, there are more failed programs and hand outs to various groups domestically as well. i am sure i don't need to list them for you. just look around you at all the waste. besides, there are some very very rich business people who give large amounts of money to the democratic party... just look at miss susie thompkins of "esprit de corp," or that insurance guy... oh darn what is his name? he gives millions a year to the dems. not to mention the coporate donations or funds that come from various organizations such as the trial lawyers association, they are a major contributor to the dem party... the unnions.. etc.... also, the majority of republican donations are around $200 or so. most republican donations come from single individuals. that is a fact that you can look up if you chose to.
you do realize that you sound like a communist don't you? what right do you have to other people's money? just curious.
lar | |
|
| Should we tax the wealthy,or continue to pay our heroes like chumps?
Posted: 2/18/2007 11:19:43 PM | dark magus and anyone else who is interested~
here is a link for you. it's a summary of taken from the amazing book, "the millioinare next door." it's a great little book, an easy read, that is full of all of the demographic information on millionares. the guy who wrote it spent about 20 years or so researching millionares. thier habits, what fields they worked in etc. this book is full of all sorts of data ... for example, the average millioinare is first generatioin, that is, 80% of them are self made. most of them live well below thier means, and you would never know that they were rich from the cars that they drove or the houses that they lived in. they typically do not shop at places like nieman marcus, and tend to instead shop at places like sears. there are more millionares that hold sears creadit cards than there are those that hold nieman marcus credit cards. the average millionare typically only buys things on sale. they typically buy used cars and pay cash for them. they are very very frugal and thier spouses are very frugal as well. they cut coupons.. etc... anyway...i highly reccomment this book for anyone who is curious or for anyone who is interested in how people become rich... and what rich people are truly like... it may not be what you think...
http://www.berkeleysquarejazz.com/blog/archives/000581.html
there are other links..this was the first one i grabbed...
lar | |
|
| What heroes?
Posted: 2/19/2007 2:09:52 AM | | Public service workers are not heroes. | |
|
| Should we tax the wealthy,or continue to pay our heroes like chumps?
Posted: 2/19/2007 4:05:39 PM | the majority of republican donations are around $200 or so. most republican donations come from single individuals. that is a fact that you can look up if you chose to.
________________
Please give me a site to follow up on this.
A millionaire is working middle class. The Rich are in a differant world. You have to be a billionaire to be on Forbes. Most of theses folks didnt get there working at what they love (Waltons 4 on Forbes), they were Born or Married money. Should they pay a lower tax rate sitting beside the pool, than a working person? | |
|
| Should we tax the wealthy,or continue to pay our heroes like chumps?
Posted: 2/19/2007 4:49:35 PM | Well firefighters, teachers, and the police are paid out of state and local taxes...not federal income tax. So you want to raise property taxes, state income tax (which not all states have) and sales tax?
Well property taxes are tough as a home is the number one investment to which most Americans aspire...raising the rate only makes homes more unaffordable to the middle class...so what, you want to raise taxes only on homes worth more that $750k? Well, look at the Bay Area...if you bought a home there in the early '90s for $200k it is worth well over $750 now...should they suddenly pay more?
Sales tax always hits the lower income brackets the hardest because they have to pay a larger percentage of their pay for needed goods like clothing, shoes, and food (in some states).
State income tax could always be increased for the top earners, but again you are only taxing income...many loopholes shield the ultrarich from everyone else.
I have an idea...what hurts the working class (and small business as well) the hardest is payroll taxes like social security. Right now SS is capped at about $85k I think (once you make $85k you no longer have to pay social security that year). What if no one paid SS taxes on the first $35k per year and we raised the cap to $300k? This way those earning lower incomes would take home more pay, small business would have to pay less in payroll taxes...and hopefull spend the savings on pay increases or healthcare, and we could actually fund SS for future generations. | |
|
| Should we tax the wealthy,or continue to pay our heroes like chumps?
Posted: 2/19/2007 8:32:08 PM |
Larissan04
... the majority of republican donations are around $200 or so. most republican donations come from single individuals. that is a fact ...
Ah, the art of the spin. The majority of donations are of modest size. I actually don't doubt that is a true fact.
Now tell me where the majority of the dollars originated?
Suppose a thousand people each donated $200 to my election campaign and I accepted one million-dollar PAC check. The median contribution would be $200, the majority of the contributions would be $200 each, and the one person behind the PAC would have provided 80% of my funding.
Where would someone's loyalties most likely lie?
| |
|
| Should we tax the wealthy,or continue to pay our heroes like chumps?
Posted: 2/20/2007 6:11:55 AM | | It would seem to me that the first thing you do is make sure your income (taxes) pays for what you spend. Otherwise you are just creating a debt for future generations. We cut taxes on the largest incomes while not planning a equal reduction in spending. Obviously we need to make changes. If we take the cap off of social security taxes so that you would be taxed on your whole income and eliminate the tax cut we gave the highest income earners then we eliminate huge economic problems that we face. You can't tax the lower income earners anymore. It is a tax on income, not on wealth. Trickle down has now been tried in two presidential administrations. It does not work. It is not trickle down, it is trickle on. | |
|
| Should we tax the wealthy,or continue to pay our heroes like chumps?
Posted: 2/20/2007 6:58:54 AM |
However, I wouldn't want to see the US become what some nations in Europe have become, where a person can just choose not to work and sponge off society.
Got any figures to back that up? Any good sources?
I like the idea of starting the social security deductions (or Canada Pension or Employment I) AFTER you earn $35 000, and capping it higher.
The point seems to be a more even distribution of taxes, so that the wealthy pay at least SOME tax, instead of sponging off the middle and lower classes. | |
|
| Should we tax the wealthy,or continue to pay our heroes like chumps?
Posted: 2/20/2007 7:31:44 AM |
most of them live well below thier means, and you would never know that they were rich from the cars that they drove or the houses that they lived in.
Oh so now your saying I gotta be a cheapo? I'm sorry but just because I live in America doesnt mean I have to eat like an American, is why I import my various foods which is somewhat "expensive" but not above my means, hey, it keeps the jelly belly (a proletarian euphamism, see? I'm prole!  )
And I have seen MTV's "Beauty and the Geek" marathon and one of the girls said "she doesnt hang around with trash" and that she's "one of the top 5% richest people" and "when he makes the big bucks come talk to her" Gee! It's attitudes like that justify the plutophobia of the working-class! | |
|
| |
| Should we tax the wealthy,or continue to pay our heroes like chumps?
Posted: 2/21/2007 12:29:16 AM | dark magnus~
look, i know there are women out there who wouldn't date a guy unless he was in a certain tax bracket... and guess what? there are men like that too! but lets be real here... you are a young guy and the amount of money you are making now is not going to be the same as the amount of money you are going to be making in your prime earning years... besides... do you really want a woman like that? you want a partner not a sponge...
all i was trying to share with you was the demographics on the wealthy. yes, if you want to create wealth a good place to start would be by looking at those who succeeded in being wealthy and learning from what they did right. and yes, most of them are frugal cheap-os. if you spend a lot less than you earn then of course you are going to have some capitol to do something with. sure you can spend a lot of money on good food, but then you can always cut spending somewhere else...
also, most of the millionares in this country (80%) are self made, and the money is typically gone by the 3rd generation. why? because they raise spoiled waste-oid kids who think they are entitled to everything just cuz... believe me, i lived in los angeles for a long long time and have seen plenty of trust fund babies in my time... most of them are pathetic... yes there are a few that do something with the opportunites that life blessed them with but the vast majority are pathetic.. who cares?
really, why should you care if someone else has more money than you? you don't have to compare yourself to others... compete with yourself! you are young and have every opportunity to do well... belive me, if i knew the things i know now at your age i would be pretty well off!
lar | |
|
|
|
Home
login 
