Our Tax System Explained

This is too good not to share:

Folks, what DO we do when all of the 'rich' decide to go elsewhere?

What would YOU do, if you were the 2nd or 3rd richest?

And what happens to our country when all that are left are the poor?

 

Um, I googled the professor.

Here is his website: http://davidk.myweb.uga.edu/

The first paragraph states "Contrary to Internet folklore, Dr. Kamerschen is NOT the author of "Tax Cuts: A Simple Lesson in Economics" or “Bar Stool Economics” or anything similar to that. Additionally, he does NOT know who wrote it and he has no opinion on its merits. "

 

Sorry about that ~ my bad.

However, my questions still stand...

 

it's a piece of atlas shrugs in bear talk.

and, honestly, that's not how tax breaks work.

 

2nd or 3rd rich?

Look, a measure of a successful society has little to do with what class you happen to fit in or how rich you are compared to other people. If we measure stuff like that, we can look at how a capitalistic system works and see the division of labour, classes and occupations.

Until we start examining how rich the rich actually are, and see the reality of taxes that are NOT regressive in the least, (contrary to what this chain e-mail has people thinking somehow) then at that point we can de-construct and change some of the systemic reasons why people are perpetually poor and families are stuck in poverty.

Washington has no reason to suspect that the poor peoples prefer to be poor. Poverty is a result of the system that we've created.

Poverty is not written in the stars; underdevelopment is not one of God's mysterious designs. Redemptive years of revolution pass; the ruling classes wait and meanwhile pronounce hellfire anathema on everybody.

 

How do you think tax breaks work?

 

Ari? i don't have the vaguest idea what you're on about, but the rest of us were talking about how taxes and tax breaks work...

 

So, why did you ask this and then not understand what I was posting?

 

The fact that you didn't answer any of the questions?

 

the way they do

 

Well, just to refresh everyone's memories:

http://www.slate.com/id/1006214/

And just in case you really think it's only the rich that get good tax breaks, you might want to check this out:

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Taxes/TaxShelters/10bigTaxBreaksForTheRestOfUs.aspx

If anyone else has some links, please post 'em so we can talk about this on a level playing field.

 

Please refrain from being a n00b. Read my answer to your crummy "questions".

 

how about a tax system based on how big a nOOb you are? lol

ffs I'm STILL just middle-class!

 

Please refrain from being so condescending.

i did read your answer.

You didn't answer any of the questions.

You spoke about poverty, mostly, which leads me to believe you didn't get the concept of the thing.

Think about it over the course of just one year. The 10 men get together, they decide and agree on the arrangement. That does NOT mean that the poor ones are to be kept poor. It's that they're all friends and they ALL feel like the deal is fair.

If what you were asking for was a breakdown of the percentages of various incomes, they're out there, and they're amazing.

 

In fact:

To be considered Rich, the top 1% earn: $400,000 and up

the top 10% earn: $135,000 and up

the top 25% earn: $91,000 and up

the top 50% earn: $46,000 and up.


That top 1% paid 39.4% of ALL of the taxes.

The top 10% paid 70.3% of ALL of the taxes.


In light of the above, perhaps now my questions will make more sense:


Folks, what DO we do when all of the 'rich' decide to go elsewhere?

What would YOU do, if you were the 2nd or 3rd richest?

And what happens to our country when all that are left are the poor?

 

The proletariat (3rd or 2nd rich?!) seizes the means of production by revolution, overthrows the bourgeoisie and upper crusts and the entire paradigm swings to the left on a Communist shift. The 2nd and 3rd rich gain social consciousness after their labour becomes valueless and there is nowhere else to go.

You're basically describing the basic state upon which Marx's builds his theory on class struggle in the midst of capitalism.

But don't listen to me, I don't answer your questions or think hard enough about 10 men.

 

If I was dictator:
Tax all income over $100,000/year at 100% until the wars are declared officially over. An exception should be made if you enlist in the US Armed Forces, or if you are a veteran who has already served more than four 12-month deployments in an active major combat operation. Anyone convicted of attempting to evade the tax or who tries to move funds outside the US would get life in max security prison with no chance of parole.

Republicans would raise a lot more of a fuss over a big tax than they would over their kids losing arms and nuts and bleeding out in the mud (cuz Jeebus gon' fix all dat up dere in hebbin' doncha know.) JMHO.

 

This has to be the worst description of progressive tax I have ever read, and the analogy falls apart by the third line.

The greatest flaw it has is its failure to account for the increasing value received by each participant as you go up the income scale. In the example, everyone is having just one beer. In real life, the rich get magical self-reproducing kegs, the surplus of which is sold to the poor and middle class. The rich pay more because they get the most benefit.

 

Ari? Unless you think that answers the last question, i don't get what you're talking about...

All i'm talking about are the Income Taxes, and how a discount on those Taxes would affect each level of income, which, btw, are the break points on our actual Income Taxes.

My point is that the tax codes for the rich are already skewed ~ If the top 10% of the folks are paying 70% of all the Income Taxes, it doesn't take much to figure out that, if they leave because of the inequalities, we're screwed.

i had hoped that the OP would sort of give folks another view to think about regarding the whole 'Raise-the-Taxes-for-the-Rich' thing ~ that maybe it wouldn't be that good of an idea, since they already pay WAY more than their 'fair share.'

 

This is one example of what it costs to have a wide gap between rich and poor.