OMG Budget Crisis! Because of the Tax Cuts for the Rich!

Might do well to note that the working poor rarely benefit from these programs and still they pay taxes. There’s nothing wrong with being poor, there’s everything wrong with being poor by choice.

Donna, I know many working poor who benefit from increased education for their children, after school programs, nutritional programs, and housing assistance. nnYour ‘poor by choice’ comment shows your really don’t have an understanding of what American families are battling with every day. nnOne more thing – most working poor get money back from the government in the form of the earned income credit. nnDo a little research before you tro//.

Just because you need rich people’s money doesn’t mean that you have the right to it. THAT MONEY ISN’T YOURS! Stop looking at ways to spend something that you don’t have rights to.

what about the other $1.226 trillion in deficit? I think you demonstrate nicely that those tax cuts aren’t the problem, it’s the enormous spending increases.

Actually… taxes are the the responsibility of the federal government to collect… they’re also the responsibility of the federal government to spend. Both responsibilities were created by the representational federal government which, though you might not understand, does create the right for the federal government to a certain percentage of rich people’s money. The public has a right to spend that money however the public sees fit.

Oh, yes I hear that all the time. “Johnny what do you want to be when you grow up?” “I want to grow up to be poor!”nnGive me a break

Give me Liberty!

Where in the Constitution does it say that I must be taxed to redistribute my income to other social groups, almost certainly none of which I would otherwise choose to do so? I abhor any sense of entitlement, or those who would take from me, when I have made concerted effort of my own accord to care for my own requirements.

in other words… you are totally narcissitic and selfish and don’t realize that some people might or might not have had the breaks, luck, fortune, fortitude, or persistence you have… that makes you better than them… somehow more equal than them? … like “some animals are more equal than others” to put it in orwellian terms… and then you have the gall to couch your selfish fetishism of capitalism and tea baggery in the constitution! taxes are legal… spending on education, housing etc… is a result of federal programs mandated by representatives… thus the constitution in action… please… try not to be so narrow minded and realize others don’t have it as “brilliant” as you… have some compassion

It doesn’t, but common sense says you pay your share of taxes, instead of getting an accountant to write it all off or the barbarians will come bang on your gate with more 2nd ammendment solutions than you have and empty your coffers, like the French did back in 1797…but I doubt you have anything anyway, you’re probably just an ideologue…

I believe Patrick Henry ended that with “or give me death”….nnThe civil war is just beginning, pray it remains civil…or they may just prey on you!nnRemember it is the vast majority of Americans that support this solution, taking from the poor to allow the minority rich to feed off the vast majority poor only lasts so long. Especially when the top 10% own 66% of the wealth of this nation and the bottom 40% only own 1%! The tax system as it stands is not fair to anyone especially to those who work harder and harder for less and less…remove the section 8 supplements and they may just eat the rich…

It’s the enormous loss of revenue due to the economic downturn, and disinvestment in this nation by the wealthy investor class who look overseas for profits and growth.

Who says it’s not ours? You? Read your history books, you may be surprised at how the concepts of entitlement quickly change in a time of great economic desparity.

When I grow up I want to claw my up to middle managment…nnWho the hell in their right mind is poor by choice? Without REAL oppertunity it is not a choice, just a reality of life!

Where in the Constitution does it say I must have compassion? I don’t state my difficult circumstances, and I don’t state that I never have sought refuge nor hand-outs, instead accepting a period of homelessness, and working my way out of that, on my own, to make something better of myself. Just because I may have a good command of the English language does not equate to me having wealth, which I do not. I make very little, and I take exception to anyone who would EXPECT my tax dollars to pay for what they perceive as THEIR “entitlement”!

The “investor class” looks overseas, because American industry is overseas. Why would a company do business in America, with unionization, when the same work can be done for a fraction of the cost overseas? Odd, it is, when I see unionized labor angry over American jobs sent overseas, yet they drive foreign make vehicles, and buy foreign made products. Those companies LEFT because of lower labor costs overseas, then they sell it all back here in America.

16th amendment.n”I abhor any sense of entitlement” Than as a US citizen you have the right to refuse to live here in our country anymore. So leave it. I can’t believe you and your type stick up so strongly for the wealthy’s right to keep you poor and to corrupt your government. Because the government can’t be corrupt on its own you know. Money has to be involved.

In your response to Brilliant you could not have said it any better. I salute you. Nice going. My sentaments exactly. Thank you

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this one out! The figures are to close to be coincidence. But did we really need to see these figures to know this is going on? Working Americans are being taken for a ride by the Elitist Ruling Class in this Country.

No. The budget in 2008 was $2.9 trillion. That’s $900 billion less than this year. There’s the problem, we are spending almost a trillion more than just a couple of years ago–about 25% more.

“The working poor . . . still they pay taxes”. The bottom 50% of all working people pay virtually NO taxes at all! The taxes they pay constitute less than 3% of the total tax revenue the government makes. The top 1% of working people pay 40% of the governments tax revenue. How much more money do you think can be bled out of them?

It’s time to repeal the nafta & cafta agreement. Shame on the American corporations that sent our jobs overseas. Shame on the politicians who voted on the nafta & cafta agreement and allowed our American jobs to go overseas. With 9 million people out of work nobodys’ paying taxes. With all the manufacturing jobs overseas, how are you going to put people back to work. With all people working taxes are being paid therefore no budget shortfalls. So it’s well past due to reapeal the nafta & cafta agreement. For the american corporations that sent there work out of this country You can get the hell out to; go live in a third world country. You either love it or leave it. You obviously don’t love America or the American worker so, get the hell out,and go live in mexico,where you belong. n

I’m going to assume that you work for a private company here which may be wrong but . . . Your work, whatever it is, generates profit for the company. Companies profit by paying you less than the value of that generated profit. Technically you are being taken advantage of every day that you go to work instead of working for yourself. You’re lucky they don’t feel they are entitled to more of it because there’s nothing you could do to stop them except quit . . . or unionize/negotiate but only pinko commies do that right?

@Brilliant, I see. You have just bought into the myth of the American Dream. You support tax breaks for the wealthiest of Americans, even though you are not one of them. You see nothing wrong with giving them this benefit that they don’t really need. On the other hand, you see no reason to provide a benefit to those who might actually need it. Why do you discriminate? Perhaps it’s because you like to think you will some day join the ranks of the super rich? You’ve been sold a lie. Buy a lottery ticket, the odds are just as stacked against you.

Are you volunteering to work for the same wages and in the same conditions of an overseas worker just to make the investor class happy? Or are you just volunteering everyone else?nnPretty much all cars sold in America are built in America as of late. It’s not terribly practical to ship fully built cars overseas.

As I told someone above, capitalism works by letting business owners pay people less than what their work is worth. It’s only “theirs” by the consensual agreement of both parties. While people would of course not have jobs without the infrastructure and capital provided by investors, neither would the investors have any product or profit without their workers. A lot of people have become unhappy with their compensation because it has not grown to keep up with inflation and the growing cost of living. The workers’ living conditions have suffered but, as we have uncovered, only to increase profits for the investor class, who in turn have not generally used these extra profits to generate anything that benefits society at large. Some of us think this is a bit unfair, and we can’t see any good reason to let the few hoard so much money and resources while the majority are rapidly coming to find that they can no longer afford things like health care and safe housing. Does this not make sense?

To sum up: “I’ve got mine, screw you all.”nThis kind of selfish nonsense is exactly why our nation is heading directly for a second revolution. And people like you are going to be defending the corporations who are actively robbing our coffers both in government and directly from us, to the very bitter end.nI’m glad to know I live in a country where the milk of human kindness and decency has been thoroughly pissed in by “Brilliant” people like you, who wouldn’t piss to put out the flames on a burning orphan unless you were paid… And even then, you’d wait until the damn check cleared first.

Being poor is totally awesome and popular. That’s why so many people are poor right? I mean, who wouldn’t want to be totally unsure of where their next rent check or meal is coming from? Totally exciting, living on the edge! Also you get to be a total lone wolf rebel because the rest of society looks down on you and fears you because they assume that you’re violent and always on drugs and that you are going to steal all their stuff when they aren’t looking. Wicked rad!

Well, it’s right there in the beginning – the part where it says that the purpose of the establishment of the Constitution and the Federal government is to “provide for the general welfare”.nnMaybe you should have read your Constitution before you tried to argue from it.

I subscribe to the idea of hard work and freedom in any form it takes. I do not subscribe to redistribution of my wealth, when I’ve worked hard, played by the rules, saved everything I could, and thought through the important decisions in my life.nThat others may be less prudent, or have made poor decisions, does not mean that something must be taken from me, to help those who make poor decisions.nI am just left wondering where in the Constitution it says that what is mine, should be taxed, and redistributed to others.nI am all for non-profits taking DONATIONS from those better off, and those non-profits distributing to others. But, don’t TAX me, and give me NO say in where, or how, my tax dollars are redistributed.nI am sure that most on this site do not support my views, nor my groups. Then again, I do not ask you to pay YOUR taxes to support my views, nor my groups.

So children living in poverty shouldn’t be supported, because they haven’t “made a concerted effort” like you have? What about people irresponsible enough to be born with a physical or mental disability? Or families devastated by a catastrophic illness not covered by insurance? It isn’t a “sense of entitlement”, it’s a question of services and safety nets that a society chooses to provide to avoid having people starving in the streets. Most people are willing to give up some personal income in order to live in a society that provides education, food, and housing to those in need. If you don’t feel those things are valuable, perhaps you’d prefer life in a Third World country–you can keep all your income, as long as you can beat off those starving beggar children!

I subscribe to the original American values; Namely, Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. If anyone feels our country is “lost” from it’s founding premise, I would wonder why you may be so jilted?nI never bought into a housing bubble. I never asked for, nor received any hand-out. I am cautious in career and financial matters, and I am patient for results of my hard work.nI see money spent by this President to help “underwater home owners” who took out mortgages on homes they couldn’t afford. I see a rebate on old vehicle purchases to help people buy new cars. I asked for none of this, but my money was taken from me in taxes, and redistributed, all while I was patient, evaluated my options (as anyone could have, and should have), and have waited out the speculators, and those who bought into the frenzy.nStop asking for my money to redistribute to others.

Now, now – don’t tell me to “love it or leave it”. You’re supposed to be the “all inclusive”, “we love everyone” camp.nI don’t stick up for “the wealthy”, I stick up for the “don’t keep taking MY money to redistribute to others who made poor decisions, yet who had every opportunity that I did to study the market place, their life goals, and prosper” camp.

So somehow it’s better that your tax dollars instead be redistributed to the wealthy elite who don’t need them, in the form of massive tax breaks that are bankrupting the nation? How does this ascribe to the original American Values? Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Corporate Profit at YOUR expense? I’m surprised your not more pissed off that your tax dollars are being squeezed so that the top 1% earners can sneer down at you from their penthouses, and idly decide to give you the pink slip, and the finger, because labor is a lot cheaper in China.

We’re spending most of it on unjust, unpopular wars – not programs to help working class people.

Number one, the working poor are still poor and therefore qualify for and benefit from these programs.nNumber two (especially today) being unemployed is rarely a choice.

If they earn here, they should pay here. nnBesides, most of them are actually getting bailouts and tax benefits! I’ll give up my earned income tax credit gladly if it means Bank of America will give up theirs.

To some extent, I empathize with Brilliant. My husband and I have been responsible with our money, living well below our means with only a small mortgage debt. When when husband was laid off two years ago, we didn’t have to change much and have been able to handle the situation well enough. It makes me furious to think about irresponsible people with nice cars, big homes, and the latest electronic gadgets getting help through my tax dollars.nnOn the other hand, not all the people that need or get help are irresponsible. I liken these few individuals to the wealthy that are milking the system and finding ways to pay very little taxes. In the end, I don’t think the argument is about entitlement so much as playing a fair game.nnWikipedia shows the rich have a net worth greater (usually property) than 1 million dollars, and the super rich have an income greater than $350,000. So, let me ask Brilliant, are you rich? If not, then are you middle class by choice? Why haven’t you stepped up to the next level? Your poor by choice comment is narrow minded.nnThe rich aren’t playing a fair game. To quote some numbers from Thom Hartmann, from 1972 to 2011, people in the 90 percentile range in income received a 1% per year raise. Those in the 99% range got an 87% raise, 99.9% range 181% raise, and 99.99% range a 497% raise. Sure, the rich work hard, so do the middle class, and the poor. Obviously we are not playing a fair game. Why is that? Because we’ve let them. They are politically active. Its time for us to rewrite the rules of the game, so that anyone that works hard can have a chance at life, liberty, and happiness.

fyi, Canada is part of nafta, and no third world country. We have Walmarts and McDonalds and PFK’s wall to wall… and our own version of George W, conservative right wing prime minister named Harper. Realy want to kick us out? ;-)

“I stick up for the “don’t keep taking MY money to redistribute to others who made poor decisions, yet who had every opportunity that I did to study the market place, their life goals, and prosper” camp.”nnHmm. Who might you be referring to here? Lessee.nThe NFL? HmmnThe United States Armed Forces? Nnn..nAgro business? Neh.nYou can’t mean the subsidies we give the oil industry… nnWhy don’t you take another look at the graphic above.nn”to study the market place, their life goals, and prosper”nhahahaha. Millionaire yet Brilly boy?

We all need to remember that our system of government, both as a republic and a democracy, is participatory so that some people look out for the interests of corporations, some look out for the common man and woman, some look out for the environment, some look out for excessive regulations, etc. In the end, we hope, there is a balance of interests that get spoken for. Now to go off the deep end in any direction just means a lot of heat and little light. Chill, people. We pay taxes and those taxes fund unemployment, welfare, food stamps, etc. to which we are entitled as a “rainy day” fund when we need it…but if we cripple business to pay for that, it doesnt work and if we cripple people who pay the taxes and have nothing for them when they need it, but go overboard with tax breaks for business, that doesnt work, either. Balance, folks.

In some countries in the world, other citizens are considered family …all Italians, all French, etc….and not “others”, unlike yourself.

Hard to sympathize with that approach when taxes have been at an all-time low. Also, if and when you are aged or disabled, you benefit from entitlements later …when you need them. You want these to be there for you, friend, if the time comes….but if youre selling welfare queen BS, TANF has been flat for more than ten years and welfare is a fraction of what we pay in taxes.

Yes why would the “investor class” do business in America where the workers are so uppity as to expect a living wage and the benefit of contract law, when they can exploit piss poor workers in 3rd world countries by paying off Corrupt dictators . It’s so much easier to suppress people when they never had a taste of the upside of democracy and worker’s rights. Wall St. and Oil street bankrupted this nation and you want to blame unions and then reward the criminals with tax breaks that are actually “YOUR” money being redistributed to the richest 2%? nNot so brilliant.

As Oliver Wendell Holmes said, “Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society.” Teatards have no problem being rich people in a poor country – but that’s NOT America! If you don’t want to pay your fair share then get the Hell out and move to Somalia. If not – stop your whining!

Bravo, some sense in this lunacy

Having read through many of the comments here, it seems like we have the same problem as always — a failure to communicate. “Brilliant” certainly has some valid points in his opinions, as far as they go. But, many other comments have pointed out some of the reasons this is not just about taxing “responsible” people to redistribute their hard-earned money to “irresponsible” people who are borrowing too much, spending too much, and wanting some kind of “bailout” or “choosing” to live on welfare because they are lazy and don’t want to work.nnI am similar in my personal habits to “Brilliant.” I never buy new cars and rarely buy anything that I don’t need, except for small luxuries like books and cheap vacations, things like that. We are extremely conservative in our “lifestyle.”nnThere is much more to say — especially regarding the structure of the economy, taxes, the consent of the governed, contracts, rule of law, globalization, personal and corporate responsibility, how Wall Street gambles with other peoples’ money, with a “heads they win, tails everyone else loses” rigged system, and on and on.

After reading many of the comments here, it seems like this is at least a respectful discussion, more so than most blogs I have seen. That is a good sign. On the other hand, the way in which dissenting opinions are being expressed seem to show how much people end up not addressing each others main points in a satisfactory way.nnLike “birthaboppin” I can at least partly understand the views of “brilliant.” My wife and I are very conservative financially. Neither of us ever made a lot of money. We always lived well within our means. We never bought new cars. We bought a very small townhouse with a mortgage that we figured we could pay even if one of us lost our job permanently, and even if the other one of us got a pay cut and was never able to get a better paying job.nnEven though there is more than a grain of truth in what “brilliant” has said, it is simply not credible to say that this is primarily a matter of “responsible” and hard working people having to bail out “irresponsible” lazy and “reckless” people who always over-borrowed, over-spent, and tried to live on other peoples’ hard-earned incomes (through redistribution by the government). There is so much more going on. First of all, that category (irresponsible freeloaders) is a relatively small percentage of the population of working class and middle class people, and they account for an even smaller proportion of the overall economic problem in terms of actual dollars being misspent, and bad debt being created, etc. There are millions of people trapped in jobs that pay poorly (including some that require a good deal of education and training). The average worker in the US has steadily increased his/her productivity over the past 25 years with little or no increase in pay.nnThe above problems and many others are due mainly to major structural problems with the current US economy. These problems have several causes. Two big ones are an extremely poorly thought out process of “deregulation” of the financial sector, and imbalances in numerous trade agreements and in the practices of various global trading partners.nnWall Street no longer has to operate within the rule of law (they make their own rules and no one prosecutes them for massive and continuous fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and many other crimes). They gamble with other peoples money with impunity, siphoning off profits and siphoning off most of your retirement funds’ gains. Among other things huge amounts of capital are being misallocated.nnThere is much more to say. It is a huge set of interconnected problems that led to the train wreck of 2008 and ongoing problems before and since.

Fred, why should I pay even more, to support someone who hasn’t had the fortitude and persistence I have? I was dirt poor, and now am not (certainly not wealthy, but I’m one of those evil people with an income over $250K.) I built a business. Does that make me narcissistic? Selfish? The tax code is already progressive, meaning I pay a higher percentage than those in lower brackets. And I”m okay with that. And my business does good things for people, too. Is that the “selfish fetishism of capitalism” you (and apparently jbells250) refer to? If we are all just made equal, where’s the incentive to strive? To create? To pull yourself up by your bootstraps? Is it really all just an entitlement now, in your opinion?

I can understand the discontent towards people in this country who have more, but it is not their responsibility to pay the bill for those less fortunate. Americans have been groomed (by liberals and progressives) to believe that our lower society CANNOT live without assistance. This is crazy, dangerous and irresponsible. The fact of the matter is, that the taxes for those with more should never have been established in the first place. This goes into the whole “social justice” argument and those with more are not responsible for the others. They have no moral or legal obligation to do anything BUT support those who they care to. Some Americans have become so selfish. Isn’t the American dream to make IT…whatever IT is? If it’s money, family, a beautiful home, whatever. I have friends with FAR more in their savings account…and they take actions to do it. They don’t purchase the things I do…that’s freedom. They should not have to pay more in taxes because they have more money. It’s MY choice to raise a family and it’s their choice to save the money. It’s freedom America. WAKE UP AMERICA! It’s time to take responsibility for the strength in YOUR back, not others. We’re ALL afforded opportunity here, whatever you want. BUT, if you choose not to work, then you should not eat. I don’t care about those who have already made economic success of themselves, we need ALL Americans to create their OWN paths. This path must be paved by the person(s) wanting the reward.

There is no such thing as “American corporations”. They have no alliance to anything but profit.

@Brilliant. You seem to be missing my point. By supporting tax breaks for the wealthy, you are supporting a redistribution of wealth. . . to the wealthy. I assume you can wrap your head around the idea that these tax breaks are a hand out to the wealthy. This is why I will again ask you, why do you discriminate? Why are the wealthy more deserving of your hard earned dollars than the poor?

@1Capitalist, if you are so self-sufficient why do you accept the 3% tax break Bush gave you? Do you need that government hand-out?

sy61…”Shame” on Americans like yourself who shop at WalMart and seek the lowest price for the items you buy. “Shame” on union members who demand more in payment for less work every time contracts are renegotiated. “Shame” on Congress for piling on layer after layer of duplicate regulations which make American companies less competitve. Shame on both parties for taking fistfulls of money from corporations at the expense of working Americans

Can one of you starry eyed liberals who believe government can do no wrong please explain a couple of things for me?n1. If the greed and lack of concern for the common good is found in individuals in the private sector, what prevents these same evils from existing in individuals in the public sector?n2. What gives liberals the belief that government is entitled to this money in the form of tax revenue? It is always argued by the left that allowing others to keep more of the money they generate is somehow done at the expense of government.n3. Shouldn’t we make the programs we have in place lready accountable before creating more agencies, regulations, etc? There were sufficient agencies in place to regulate the financial industry prior to the recession yet NONE of them prevented the economic collapse. n4. Why is the economy flat and why do we have no job creation when government spending is between 20-25% of GDP?

If they were not the rich you would be the rich and then you would be looking for tax loop holes. Even now the people in the middle class are looking for loop holes in the tax laws so they don’t have to pay these high taxes that the Republicrats have put on us.

If you really think that everyone has the same opportunities you are childishly mistaken.

The problem isn’t the wealthy. It’s all about power. The wealthy make billions of dollars in donations to get those tax cuts. And so can you! Try donating some of that garbage sitting in your basement that you haven’t used in years-TAX CUT! All of the big hospitals here were built and operated with donations from local wealthy families. Their donations also help with many other things that medicaide and medicare doesn’t cover. Like certain medications. Take success away from the nation and maybe it won’t hurt you but what about your children? Will they have the chance at the american dream? The problem is corporation and unions. When they get that big you don’t have the human interest anymore. You have a robot telling itself selfishly what to do to make it bigger and more powerful. Another problem isn’t spending in this country as it is sending our money overseas! Right now we’re selling our land to china. One EX. of corporations-(Wal-mart). Almost everything they sell is mass produced in china. And isn’t worth a D—!! Over half the things I purchase made in china don’t work in the first place or break not long after.

The problem isn’t wealth it’s power. The wealthy donate billions of dollars for those tax cuts. You can too. Try donating some of that garbage sitting in your basement to a local organization for the needy. All of the local hospitals were built and run with donations from local wealthy families and businesses. Their donations help pay for many things that medicare and medicaide won’t cover. The problem is corporations and unions! They get that big and they start lacking in human interest. It’s like a big robot telling itself what to do to get larger and more powerful! Another problem isn’t with spending within the country. It’s when we send our money overseas to other countries. Like china. Example of a corp. (Wal-mart) Almost everything they sell is mass produced in china. Every dollar we send overseas is selling the land we stand on to them!! If the chinese told us to pay every dollar this country owed to them. “We’d be bankrupt!!!” We already have insurance for those in need. Why do we need insurance for everyone,The wealthy included. Nothing in this world is free. Why should our taxes have to pay for the wealthy peoples insurance also? P.S. Hitler came to power during germany’s depression. He promised jobs doing roadwork. Instead he totally bankrupted them and took government rule! a couple of months ago I checked Obama’s facebook page and he was talking about offering jobs doing roadwork.(Interstates and Highways) Sound familiar?? Study your history books.

2. What gives liberals the belief that government is entitled to this money in the form of tax revenue?nnAnswer: The government is entitled to this money because the tax code always was much higher until Reagan, Bush Sr. & Bush Jr. lowered it to create jobs that never happened. In fact during both Bush years there was little job creation. In fact Clinton had more jobs created than both Bush Sr. & Bush Jr. along with Reagan screwed things up. nnRoads need to be built, teachers, fire fighters, policeman, infrastructure u2013 roads, highways, trains, etcu2026 I donu2019t think the private sector wants to pay for these services on there own.nnNot everyone is perfect but corporations need checks & balances so that they play fair. n

I am for the people & for The United States of America not the United Corporations of America…nnPeople are people nCorporations are not people. Citizens United case needs to be overturned….,

I agree. I noticed that at the beginning of the housing bubble collapse and the resulting recession, that there was one Democrat that said he was going on a five-dollar-a-day meal budget, because of the taxpayers losing so much money having to pay him, and he dared his collegues to follow his lead. No one took him up on it! And didn’t Congress all get pay raises during the recession? Seems that everyone want to “spread the wealth around” unless it’s their wealth!

Exactly! That’s why we have unions. Or that used to be the force behind unions. This whole debate is about money, and the love of it. Everyone’s mad at the CEO’s of financial institututions, and angry that they’re receiving such large severance packages. Well, so what? They contracted for that with their company. What business is it of ours how much they make? When you apply for a job, and you get hired at a certain wage per hour, that’s what you are contracted to get. You just can’t determine for yourself that you are entitled to more money. And that’s the problem. It’s not the rich who are destroying the middle class. It’s the government’s “spread the wealth around” attitude that is destoying incentives to become rich. The big businesses are the ones that can afford to hire hundreds or thousands of workers. The workers in turn buy products with and pay taxes on their income, and that enables the businesses they buy from to hire more employees, and so on. That’s how capitalism works. And hopefully the government in place doesn’t overspend all the income it gets in American workers’ taxes. It used to be that if you work hard, follow the rules, pay your taxes, that you have every opportunity to be rich. You had pride if you made something of yourself. But this anti-capitalistic attitude, where people frown on someone, just because their rich, has got to stop! By the way, the people that are screaming the loudest about rich people should scream the loudest at our federally-elected leaders who have been at the trough for many years. President on down! If they were paid minimum wage by the hour, and had to pay for their own gas and their own vehicle and their own home, maybe they wouldn’t be fighting so much trying to get re-elected. Everyone I tell that to says, “Well, they need those perks, because they do such a hard job and their…” What, rich?

Okay, this is the end of the argument. It all comes down to this: There is Capitalism, which has been shown to foster a democratic society, freedom, creativity, wealth and economic excess. And there is Socialism, which fosters total government control, lack of freedoms, no wealth for anyone except for lawbreakers and those controlled by the government; no creativity, and economic excess for none except the government. So you have to ask yourself: Which do I choose?

How much money do you need to have a fulfilling life?nnDoes stockpiling assets add to happiness?nnHaven’t you yourself just revealed that you have a “sense of entitlement”?

So, why don’t you have compassion?nnAnd are you aware that some of those who’ve gained the most in our country do NOT pay their taxes? Who, no doubt, chuckle up their sleeves because you, like a little sheep, do?

You’ve bought into the dream the moneyed interests are feeding you. Actually it’s a fantasy. Tomorrow it’s going to rain pennies from heaven. nnTomorrow never comes. All you’ve got is today.

You aren’t following where your money really goes. nnWall Street is full of people who made some very bad decisions. And they got your money. nnNow they’re laughing their way to the bank. Banks also got your money. They’re laughing too.

No taxes, no government. No government, no laws. No laws, no property. Therefore, No taxes, no property. nnYou cannot have even a corporate plutocracy without taxes.nnMoreover, all law is enforced by violence ultimately. Property is based on violence – read your history books to see how the current distribution of wealth was created,nnAny just society, and certainly any democracy must be based on something more than force. Ie., a social contract, which establishes an arrangement that is fair for everyone. nnCorporate capitalism is inherently amoral, and therefore it is often immoral. The distribution of wealth that stems from our current corporate system is obscenely immoral and unjust.nnSo, there is a legal and a moral basis for taxation, especially of the super rich who, for the most, part did not in any way “earn” their wealth. There is a big difference between creating wealth and in accumulating wealth.

@patricknn1. The public sector has a motive other than its own checkbook? The private sector has just made the illusion of one.. “creating jobs” If i was a heartless billionaire who’s annual bonus went down to 1.3 billion instead of the regular 1.5 billion, hey.. i’d probably hate poor people toonn2. What gives conservatives the right to think they shouldn’t help the government get out of this slump just because other people arn’t as rich as them? Some people in this country were born with the gift of being able to make a lot of money, and they wouldn’t even have that money if it weren’t for the people of the United States.. but they “worked hard” to get where they are, so I guess they can just pretend to be patriotic while they hold on to every nickle they can as they watch the whole country rot around them.nn3. You mean policies that deregulate anything they can get away with and exploit some reaganomics bullshit tax curve that “says” reducing taxes on the rich will help create jobs, but in actuality just gives more money to these rich assholes who have enough money to personally persuade politicians ? ya, lets hold THOSE programs accountablenn4. Wouldn’t we all like to know, but lets give me more money to rich people and take it away from teachers in the mean time. Thats where the trillions of dollars went! INTO THE POCKETS OF TEACHERS! Your precious tax cuts got passed at unemployment still goes up, what happened to creating jobs? Oh right, its Democrats fault because of … blah blah no sense poltical retoricnnPoliticans don’t care at all, they pass legislation under the radar all the time and spin it when someone throws it in their face. Wisconsin’s douchebag governor obviously lacks finesse, but he’s a prime example of politicans lack of giving a shit about people that arn’t giving up mass campaign contributions or god knows what else that the majority of people dont even seennPeople hate Republican’s because alls they have to do is be stubborn and they get their way, and people hate Democrats because they are apathetic pieces of trash that just let all this shit happen