Sorry, Pal, You're Rich

I still cant beleive some of you people. Rich DO NOT pay more taxes than everyone else, I dont care what you read on Rush Limbaugh or whatever right wing show you digest your info from says. When Warren Buffet comes right out in an interview and says he paid LESS TAXES than his scecretary what the hell do you think that shows, The rich have tax shelters, tax havens, and numerous ways to hide and shuffel their income from the IRS. When a multi-billionaire pays less in taxes than his secretary that should be all the proof you need that the tax system, just like all the other financial games are geared toward the rich, Any wonder the Fed Chief used taxpayer money to bail out Wall Street but not one dime went to help bail out hard working Americans losing their homes. I'll say it once again, if you make a quarter of a million per year you dont have SH#T to complain about. Sit back, relax and count your blessings rather then bitching about them.

This line of thinking is what is wrong with America. People who make that much money deserve it. They studied in school, they worked hard. How is making money they worked hard for not fair? It is just like the story of the kid who is too good at baseball to play with the other kids. This line of thinking is leading to the perversion of what this country was founded on. I work about 70 hour a week for the last 13 years and still do not make $250k a year. But I am not mad at the people who do. I just do not see how you people think that theese people do not pay their fair share. The top 1% pay 20% of all income taxes paid and the bottom 50% pay nothing, is that fair?
Do any of you socialist democrats remember what the American dream was......come to this country and work hard and you can do anything. Now the American dream is to be lazy and do what you want, because "them rich" people should take care of us. There is a reason the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The poorer are to stupid and lazy to take care of themselves. So they elect people to take care of them. What is the threat the Democrats use....If you vote for the republican your checks will stop coming and then you will actually have to work for a living. But if you vote for us we will raise taxes (that you do not have to pay anyway) and see if we can not get you a raise and make them pay their fair share.

democrats= I am too stupid and lazy to take care of myself,so I want the goverment to do it.

As someone who is currently unemployed and who has never earned $30,000, $250,000 seems rich to me. I could probably retire on that amount.

I don't think these last two comments take into account the difference between progressive and regressive taxation. I also don't think they have a shred of concern for social responsiblity. $250K is an awful lot of money no matter where you live. The underlying problem is, given that the nature of the argument is a focus on 'relative wealth,' the negative savings rate for Americans. I believe an income of $250K is enough to live a very comfortable and secure lifestyle, but many Americans lack the basic fiscal responsibility and budgeting skills to make that a reality. Direct TV is not a need. High speed internet is not a need. A luxury sedan is not a need. A new cell phone with data package is not a need. Going out for lunch every day is not a need. Our citizens, like our government, need to learn to control their spending by understanding the differences between wants and needs. By they way, if you can afford the items listed above, please do not tell me that you are not wealthy. There will (nearly) always be someone with more wealth than you, but remember how many people have far less.

As a husband and wife team, together making $98k a year, we feel extremely blessed. My husband is degreed, and I am not-yet, but we are able to live very comfortably on $98k. We have 2 kids, and I was able to buy school clothes and supplies (imagine that!) on $98k per year. We are not rich, but we ain't hurting. We have friends that are rich. They make over $500k per year. They live in a $1.5 million dollar home w/ no kids.
Our home, $200k. I think people lose touch with reality. In comparison to Oprah, $250k is "not much", in comparison to the educators, bus drivers, office managers, postal workers, etc. $250k is damn good
money. Perspective and compassion is needed here in this "Christain land". The wealthy have a responsibility to aid the less fortunate, not the other way around. No wonder Christ said "it would be easier
for a camel to get through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."
Selfishness, and greed are pretty ugly traits to carry around- for a Christian.

1) For the righties who deride the left for their liberal programs and taxing, the right/republicans signed medicare part D a few years back. The republican's don't tax, they borrow. Cutting taxes is one thing, cutting spending is another and that just NEVER seems to happen.

2) For the lefties, those who go on about cars and lattes and "tony lifestyles" need to understand that when a person trades $5 for a cup of coffee, it was still just a cup of coffee. It simply means a greater profit for the coffee house and its owners. Starbucks is a public company, so those whose 401k's are invested in Starbucks just made out. Taxing it away cuts off both, the pleasure (albeit shallow) from the coffee AND out the equity of someone else. Simply put, taxation contracts the economy. Then the government will try and expand the economy through money and interest manipulation which ultimately is PLANNED INFLATION which actually a SAVINGS TAX. So people are doubly motivated to not work harder or else pay more, the economy contracts and is artificially expanded and people are dismotivated from saving.

But anyway, let's clear the pretense that Dems/Libs act one way, and the Repubs/Cons act another. It is a symiotic relationship that benefits both as they exclude ANY other parties from contention. Spending has gone through the roof, even more entitlements are handed out BY BOTH, they just have a 1984ish "struggle" between raising or lowering taxes a few percent. The main stream media (from MSNBC to FOX) take their preferred positions and feed their masses fragments of the truth. And so very few ever bother looking at such as the Financial Report of the US Government, or budgets, or the like. They just feed on, and sprew back, rhetoric.

But this isn't a game anymore. This is about economic collapse. Not about 300 square feet more of house, or a latte versus break room tar. This is MUCH bigger. A new paradigm needs to reached.

Dan,



I love your article. I am what you would consider middle class. I live in Cleveland NY (about 35 miles Northeast of Syracuse???Go Orange!!). I make $30,000 a year as an Administrative Assistant. I drive 65 miles everyday, round trip to work in my Jeep Liberty. Gas alone is about $75.00 a week. My husband is a Contractor who makes an average of $40,000 - $50,000 a year . He drives a Toyota Tundra, and has to drive to various job sites, which requires a lot of gas???not to mention the gas he has to put in his generator on the job site. Our total average income is approximately $70,000 a year. We have 3 children (one we just put through nursing school). Our mortgage is $835.00 a month. Fuel averages $380.00 a month. Electric is $200.00 a month. We have 2 car payments that total $715.00 a month. That doesn???t include little stuff like groceries, school lunches etc. You can do the math. As far as vacations go, I???ve never been to Florida on spring break, or on a cruise on winter break. The furthest I???ve got was Atlantic City (once), Niagara Falls (once), and Canada, which is near my parent???s camp on Wellesley Island NY. I would kill to average $90,000 a year!!! I do not try to keep up with the Jones???. I just try to keep up!!! Thanks for giving me a voice!!! Hopefully someone in Washington hears you.

Flat tax benefits the rich morons. If I make 300k, I want a flat tax at 21% instead of 36%. If I make $25,000, and I have a kid, the government pays me through the EIC. Careful what you ask for.

Fact: The top 5% of income earners in this country paid 60.1% of the total income tax for the entire country in 2006, the most recent data available from the IRS. To be in the top 5% your adjusted gross income was greater than $153,500. Meanwhile folks in the bottom 50% of all filers paid only 3% of the total income tax. The lowest actually had a negative income tax rate because of the Earned Income Credit. So when you hear "thats another tax break for the rich" remember, the rich are paying most of the tax, they should get some breaks!

What is this about liberal people taking from hard working people - what nonsense. Everyone I know works hard but only get the usual $ 10 per hour. Flat tax is the real answer. That would be fair across the board. Of course, first you have to declare a min. earnings cutoff
for those who barely exist, which should be $ 25,000. Then do a flat tax of say, 17% and I would embrace that. Currently, per iRS 25% of those making $ 250,000 did not pay a red
penny in taxes due to the loophole in our off-shore policy. Also 25% of the largest corporations did not pay taxes. So one has to ask, just who is paying taxes. If you make
$ 50,000 or thereabouts you barely exist and then paying taxes is cancelling a much needed
item or even get repairs done. In order for the government to do away with the social
benefits we first need to pay the people a fair wage, so they can afford to make it on their own. This min. wage deal just ain't cutting it. And as I know, those min. wage jobs are not
just for teenagers, oftentimes it is the only thing available.