sheldon minsky Loc: iron mountain michigan

And we keep re-electing them, so who is at fault?

nimbushopper Loc: Tampa, FL

Canisdirus

Politicians sell it as Scandanavian socialism...but it's not. It's Venezuelan.
In Scandanavia...everyone pays.
The middle class pays around 50% (try selling that to the citizens)...PLUS a 20% VAT tax (which everyone pays).
There is ZERO corporate tax (because corps don't actually pay taxes...they pass it on down the line).

It's a political shell game...switch the label.

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

#1 Define 'Rich'

Rich is a relative term

Remember businesses do not pay taxes, they pass them on in higher prices,

STOP the Waste!

Let's defund Congress! Let's defund Foreign Aid!

Xanadu Loc: Clay County FL

"The American Republic will endure, until politicians realize they can bribe the people with their own money."
Alexis de Tocqueville

Tomcat5133 Loc: Gladwyne PA

Recently the IRS sent me a notice that I owed some money from 2016. Not a lot. And then the fun began.
They had added on severe penalties and not pay charges. First they sent a warning letter one to me
and one to my wife separately. We have filed a joint return for years. Mistake. I sent in an appeal.
Googled it and said IRS could take months to look at it.

Can I say that the former potus of the US paid about $700 bucks for years.
15 on the largest companies in US have paid no tax.
Billionaires have grabbed a larger part of US wealth the last few years.

That said I have no issues with wealthy people. I have had times when I did very well.
Their is no envy. Good for them. Just want a level playing field.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Are you talking about taxing wealthy people, or those with high salaries, or corporations? Those are very different entities from a tax standpoint.

Wealth = accumulated real property, collectibles, stocks, bonds, and other investments… Things that pay interest, or yield capital gains, or pay dividends. These are taxed differently from earnings. The wealthy don’t earn much from salaries, compared to investments. Their tax rates are historically very low, AND represent much smaller portions of income than most salaries.

Salaries are periodic income earnings from jobs. They are taxed at high rates compared with wealth and corporate earnings.

Corporations are different from individuals, and yes, they can raise prices so consumers pay the tax, or they can move offshore, as many have in the last 50 years, or they can lobby Congress for loopholes. They already have MANY loopholes.

Tax policy is a sticky bramble of poison ivy, blackberry vines, and snake nests… put yer boots on, and leather up, it’s gonna get deep!

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan

Rich people take some of their excess money and create more jobs and employ more people so they can become richer. Everyone benefits. It is a win-win. It's called Capitalism. And Capitalism has lifted more people out of poverty than any other thing in World history. Why don't you or your kids go apply for your next job from a poor person and see how that works out.

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

Even if everything you say is true. So What? Anybody in American has the opportunity to go into those specific businesses and make just as much money. Freedom of equality in America is not based on equity but on freedom of choice and ambition. If you want to sit on your ass and collect welfare then that is your choice. If I or you, on the other hand want to work our butts off, get an education in a meaningful science or trade then we have much more of an opportunity to get rich. EVERYONE has that same opportunity.

I did well in my profession(s) but my two brothers did better in their chosen professions. Why? Because they both worked their butts off going to college and studying to become among the best in their classes. Both worked to get Masters degrees. I was lazy and achieved an AS degree. Still I was happy in my job/life with what I achieved. I earned enough money to buy a ranch in Colorado and have a decent pension. I did what I wanted to accomplish. My brothers did as well. But the opportunities were open not only to us but to everyone else in America IF those other people want to work hard as we did and most likely as you did too.

Dennis

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

I do not disagree at all. But then our politicians in Congress should be able to enact laws that would tax those uber rich people. Unfortunately many of our politicians ARE those uber rich people and have no desire to tax themselves more than necessary.

But while on the subject it is just as obscene that about 50% of Americans pay no tax at all. That bothers me even more than rich people paying less than they should pay. Imagine living in the greatest country on the planet and you can't be bothered to contribute SOMETHING to those who make it possible.

Dennis

Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan

Dennis, try thinking like a rich person. Their wealth is theirs. And they know they can't take it with them. They know they are going to have to dispense with their wealth at some time. Can you blame them from wanting to do that in the way and time they see fit rather than letting the govt. take it from them and flush it down a rathole of the govts. choice?

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

I’m all about hard work and living the American dream, but there are inequities in the system that need to be addressed for the good of the country and society. I did my time in the military and then worked 30-40 hours per week designing plus the GI bill to work my way through college and then graduate school and planned on teaching, but after the poverty of the military and college, one day I just got tired of being poor, called up a headhunter and got a sales job at IBM because that’s where I perceived the $ was. I was right, and I had a 40 year successful career, but in the end, not sure what I contributed to society other than being able to educate my children and help them get started. One of my sons got a masters in education and teaches HS, the other is a fire chief and my wife is a retired RN. In my best years I made 7x what any of them make/made (I’ve never told my boys that). So where is the equity in that? All three of them are spending or spent their careers caring for and helping others, while I spent mine making money. Who did the most to help and enrich our society?