Are the poor in America really not that poor?

[-Carnifex-]

Originally posted by Rooster
"not to mention the top 1% of the population possesses over 50% of the total population's wealth."

Exactly as it should be. You deserve nothing of their wealth, nor does anyone else.

[Restola]

^ yup

I love people who think "freedom" means "freedom to take someone else's money".

[vf-xx]

Regardless of how you see our tax dollars being spent, I can't complain about it overall. Look at all the benifits that you're gaining from taxes: 1) Roadway system, 2) State Colleges, 3) k-12 education, 4) Police Force.... The list does go on.

Health care and Social Security I'm not praticularly fond of tho.

I'm for a flat tax percentage.

[Chojin Man]

Originally posted by shartley
And it bothers me that we as a nation are so quick to give aid and funding to other nations to help them take care of problems we ourselves still have to address and take care of within our own borders.

Ya thats bogus. Why does it seem that helping our poor is so low on the list.

[1stdeadeye]

Originally posted by vf-xx
Regardless of how you see our tax dollars being spent, I can't complain about it overall. Look at all the benifits that you're gaining from taxes: 1) Roadway system, 2) State Colleges, 3) k-12 education, 4) Police Force.... The list does go on.

Funded by the states! The highway trust fund is federal money from the gas tax that goes to the states, but what you just listed is otherwise paid by state or property taxes!

As for k-12 education, here in Jersey, it costs more then 1/2 of my property taxes. Plus I send my children to private schools, so I pay it twice!

[Lohman446]

Most important services you see (highway, police, K-12 education, college) are funded by the states themselves - though often enough the funding comes from the federal government out of tax dollars sent in by other states. Michigan for example is a donor state, we pay more to the federal government than we get back, New Mexico, last a new, got like $1.40 back for every $1 they sent it. This helps even out some of the disparity between the states, right or wrong.

I have to agree, I think a national sales tax is the way for the federal government to raise money (though do you realize it would have to be like 30%). I'm wrong there though, funny how I can state that and then immediatly note that, and not bother to go back to erase it. In theory a flat tax, a sales tax makes money, it would increase savings and investment especially by the top echelon of wealth. It would destroy many loopholes. But why should someone who makes 10 or 20K a year and can barely survive pay the same percentage as I do - if we force that won't we just increase the need for government help. I have no problem with people who are barely scraping by to make it (not those that buy a million dollar house and then have no money after the mortgage) to not pay taxes. The people who work hard and make little (they do exist) should not be forced by taxes to seek assistance. Let those Americans help themselves but don't tie an anchor to them.

[1stdeadeye]

Originally posted by Lohman446
Most important services you see (highway, police, K-12 education, college) are funded by the states themselves - though often enough the funding comes from the federal government out of tax dollars sent in by other states. Michigan for example is a donor state, we pay more to the federal government than we get back, New Mexico, last a new, got like $1.40 back for every $1 they sent it. This helps even out some of the disparity between the states, right or wrong.

Come to Jersey then. We are the #1 donor state in the nation. Our ineffectual senators ensure that we get less back then any other state in the nation. Right now around $0.60 for every dollar we send in, yet a hillbilly backwater state like WV gets $1.30 for every dollar. Go figure!

[Lohman446]

Hey now... i too live in a donor state... though my senator are a touch less pathetic then yours.

[Rooster]

"Ya thats bogus. Why does it seem that helping our poor is so low on the list."

Our poor generally tend not to strap C4 to their chest to blow up buses, or gather automatic weapons to make attacks on civilians. Foriegn aid is nothing more than a bribe. Its unfortunate, such situations should be delt with differently. Sufficient use of deadly force, for example.

[logamus]

i support a national sales tax. that way those of you who dont want to give money to the government dont have to. those with less money obviously spend less so they are therefore taxed less and vice versa. the added benifit is that those who do not pay taxes now, will. i believe it can be done, it just needs the support of the people.

[Lohman446]

Originally posted by Rooster
"Ya thats bogus. Why does it seem that helping our poor is so low on the list."

Our poor generally tend not to strap C4 to their chest to blow up buses, or gather automatic weapons to make attacks on civilians. Foriegn aid is nothing more than a bribe. Its unfortunate, such situations should be delt with differently. Sufficient use of deadly force, for example.

For once I have to agree with Rooster, though perhaps less directly. Foreign aid in the billions to the Taliban gained us what? We give all this equipment to Israel and then tell them don't use it. We need to decide if we support states or not, and leanr that those we don't should not get our support.

[Emily]

I've been reading this for a couple of days and there are some thing i agree with and some things i don't.

Some say it's bad that the rich pay so much in taxes. Income tax was formed so you pay a % of your income to run this country.

In whole, a flat tax would screw the tax payers that are middle income (which is the majority of americans) and the low income. Why should someone making 35,000 a year pay the same amount of taxes as someone making 1 million?

Each year that tax laws change or are redifined due to people finding loop holes or the gay areas. Usually this is the rich finding these. And this arguement over the top 5% paying 50% of the taxes doesn't seem right to me. The rich spend a lot of money to finds ways not to pay taxes. There are so many tax defered programs out there that they are using. Do you really think Bill Gates or Donald Trump pays taxes on everything they make? They don't. Their money is invested and put into programs where they dont have to pay taxes on it and they live off of interest or pay out from stocks and bonds. Lets say someone made 50 million in one year and they lived off of 500,000 that year, they will only pay taxes on the 500,000 because the rest went into tax defered programs or bought stocks and bonds, etc. Bill Gates does this. And then there are the losses that can be taken off the taxes due and credits and so much other stuff. The rich are the ones that benifit.

I agree that each person should not have to pay more to the gov't than what they get to keep. But making everyone pay the same amount hurts the middle income. The rich are not hurting in any way paying 50% or more. Believe me Bill Gates, Donald Trump or the other rich people have plenty of it and they prolly dont even miss it.

Heck if i were to have the much money, I wouldn't miss it.

[Albinonewt]

Originally posted by impostal22
yes, but why are the incomes from $0/year to $150,000/year taxed in separate brackets yet from $150,001/year to $1billion+ /year are taxed in the same bracket? not to mention the top 1% of the population possesses over 50% of the total population's wealth.

How much higher to you want the rates?

Flat rate. That's the only way to fly.

[Albinonewt]

Originally posted by impostal22


i just find it disturbing that someone who makes $152,000 a year is paying the same % of taxes as someone who makes $1.52million.

Why?

That sounds fair to me. Why shouldn't the percentages be the same? It should be that everyone past $20,000 (or so) pays the same percent (less the original 20,000). That's how I would set it up. Flat tax, starts at 20,000, exludes the first 20,000, and no additional exemptions.

[Albinonewt]

Originally posted by vf-xx
Regardless of how you see our tax dollars being spent, I can't complain about it overall. Look at all the benifits that you're gaining from taxes: 1) Roadway system, 2) State Colleges, 3) k-12 education, 4) Police Force.... The list does go on.

Health care and Social Security I'm not praticularly fond of tho.

I'm for a flat tax percentage.

Right, I'm all for my tax dollars for infrastructure and defense needs, and not much else.