Sure, considering "most people" pay no or minimal federal income taxes, it's not hard to vote for other people to pay more. How heartfelt and caring of them.
Rich people live within a society that provides firemen, policemen, garbage men, soldiers, courts, construction workers, health care etc. etc. They don't exist and prosper without it. Most people recognize that to an extent, you can tell because we have progressive tax rates and tax law is not written by poor people, they don't have lobbyists or PAC's.
Actually, as someone who now pays a lot more income tax due to the GOP tax bill, I have seen this: blue states already paid more to Uncle Sam than they got back, and with no complaints. The GOP tax bill was carefully designed to further negatively impact blue states like Mass, NY, and Cali, a giant middle finger of double-taxation. It won't soon be forgotten. So talking about liberals voting "for other people to pay more" is kind of bizarre in that light, right? Whoever voted for the GOP recently voted to have a lot of other people pay more, but just in blue states. And for what? Did we at least help pay down our debt? No, the reverse is true under these Trump/GOP spending-spree budgets. Did we at least help out the least fortunate Americans by strengthening the safety net? Um, no, didn't do that either. The not-rich, employed, hard-working blue staters just pay more to directly elevate the top fraction of the top 1% and help GOP campaign coffers. Feels great, man.
Sure, and poor people benefit from all those services, and more too. I think most everyone is fine with a certain level of taxation. The question is what level of taxation is appropriate.
Yes, everything have to be balanced. When the time is bad, government should help people more, when the time is good, government should be spending more on reducing the deficit and debt. The problem with GOP today is that anytime is a good time to cut tax, why don't we have 0 tax and get rid of the government if that is the case. I am for personal liberty, but don't be paying lip service to the principle and then come back and push your social views on the country. I want a strong defense, i just don't think we need to have the defense budget of the next 10 countries combined and still want to spend more on defense. I am willing to spend my fair share of income on medical care, i just don't think we should spend close to 20% of the gdp on medical care as a country. Balance and proportionality, that is the key, not some abstract ideals.
I am one of those people who pay more - and I don't mind, because I got this way by having the advantage of being in the US society. That is how a functioning society should work. The rich should pay more. DD
Why are you attacking the poor? I mean that is unchristian, it is unamerican, and frankly ridiculous - people should be looking to HELP them rise up..... DD
I haven't attacked the poor in any statement I have made in this thread. Please learn to read and not make insulting insinuations or this will devolve quickly. Someone pointed out rich people benefit from any manner of public services, I simply pointed out poor people do too. That's not "attacking the poor."
Yes, the rich do pay more. The rich pay the lions share. I think pretty much everyone agrees that is proper. The proper level of taxation is the question most people disagree on. I'm happy to pay a certain amount of taxes too. Reasonable minds can disagree on what percentage of their income should go to taxes though.
Honestly that is all on Donald Trump. He attempted to obstruct a federal investigation and then attempted to withhold funding to a foreign nation until they investigated Biden. Also it was Trump's decision to surround himself with people like Flynn, Mannafort and Guiliani.
Our right-wing has gone so far to the "right" that virtually anything based on facts, logic, and lacking in xenophobia, religious zealotry, and loyalty to The Party looks left in comparison. Heck, even, the U.S. left wing party looks conservative on the international scale. And that is sad for the entire nation.
I imagine this is in reference to SALT deductions? I'm not looking to spend a lot of time jumping down that rabbit hole right now or the Trump tax cuts rabbit hole or the GOP's fiscal policy rabbit hole. Suffice to say I wish both parties would display more fiscal responsibility. All I was doing was pushing back on the notion that, "Most people are left, those that have a heart and care about society over personal greed anyway." by pointing out "most people" pay little to no federal income taxes. I don't know how much "heart or care" it takes to make others pay more while you yourself pay little to nothing and won't pay more.
But as a percentage of income, poor people pay more, sales taxes, real estate taxes (as paid by rent), self-employment taxes, auto registration, gasoline tax etc. so you are only talking about income taxes. Those people are stretched to he breaking point for income/expenses now. Graduated income taxes have little effect on on solvency. I
In today's America, facts clearly have a liberal bias. No surprise that mistake-in-chief supporters and Senator stormfront might find this fact disconcerting.
Sounds like we largely agree. And I don't want to jump down SALT rabbit holes either. I do think we could get a decent tax code if the parties could actually work together. And like you, I don't mind paying my share. Not at all. The recent changes have impacted us though, and that's tough when I don't see positive benefits to society. Just seems like I'm paying for companies to have stock buy-backs, but that's another rabbit hole. Cheers.
