This isn't true. The majority of taxes are paid by the wealthiest of us but they are definitely not "wage-earners", they get their income from interest and dividends on vast fortunes, mostly inherited. These are people who receive over $10 million a year. They actually pay a lower percentage of their income than working Americans do. I'll never understand why successful middle class citizens who work hard for a living think they're in the same category with the idle rich. We have much more in common with the working poor than with the ultra-wealthy. We pay more taxes as a percentage of our income than the super-rich do. They only pay more of the total because they own most of the wealth of the country.
Okay, so wrong word, my bad. Believe me, NEVER, not one day would I EVER think that I'm associated with the upper class/ wealthy. I try my best to live like it and have a mountain of bills to show for it. At least I'm having a blast while I'm here, you know, above ground and drawing breath. I do stay within my means and I don't have creditors calling for late payments blah blah. Bottom line is, and I'm sure you will dig up a link, unless of course I am right then you'll drive yourself nuts trying to disprove it but 60% or something like that is paid by the top 10% of the nation? Sounds about right. Happy Hunting Amigo!!:thumb:
I think your percentages are roughly right, but the point you miss is that 10% who pays 60% of taxes take home somewhere along the lines of 85% of the income be it through Ww, 1099, and capital gaines.
So lets assume that it is correct? What is the problem? The liberals will say "it's just not fair that those people have so much money" Well someone call the waaambulance. If anything it should motivate them to find a way to get there? Right? I will retire from the military soon and if all goes well I'll open a small business and hopefully, with enough motivation, determination, and nose to the grindstone I'll get there myself. I don't want the gvt to pay, give, re-distribute or INTERFERE in my progress. I'm not OWED anything from my gvt. That is the main problem with the left and their way of thinking. They want their slice of the pie but don't want to work for it.
That has been Red's stock response every time this subject comes up. The "idle rich" either didn't earn their money or it comes from money they already made via dividends, etc. Liberals (and Moderates, apparently) feel that a chunk of that dough should be distributed to those less fortunate, or as Shane suggests, those who are too stupid or lazy to get it on their own. And the Democrats would like nothing better than to divvy it up in exchange for a seat on the throne.
I'm always astonished at hard working middle class people like us who seem to think that lazy poor people are trying to take their money. The divide is not between the poor and the middle class, it is between the middle class and the wealthy. The tax structure is set up so that the rich get richer while the middle class gets poorer and the nation goes deeply into debt. Who is talking about "distributing" your money to poor lazy people? I'm talking about making our spending match our income. If we need $X to do the work of government, then we need to bring in $X to pay for it, not 50% $X. Bush started huge new programs, failed to fix social security, and got us into an expensive war yet cut taxes at the same time dramatically increasing our nation debt. If you or I spent more than we have, we would go bankrupt and we would be irresponsible. It is no different for the country.
Social Security is not Bushs' problem, it was a broken system LONG before he ever got into office. He did if I recall correctly try to fix it in his first term by allowing us to invest it on our own and the liberals scared the beejezzus out of everyone over the age of 50 into thinking he was going to steal their money. This was one of the best ideas that W had (I mean come on, it's not like they are in abundance) and the Dems scared it right off the hill.
