If you think you're not carrying your fair share, then change that- yourself- mark the box, write the check, and go to bed with a clear conscience. The "rich" are already paying a higher *percentage* of what they earned than the rest of us are, which is hideously unfair (definition 1:6:a,b), if you want to get right down to it. Many of us plain folks get back most of our Federal tax monies. Those who aren't earning enough to pay in? Well, they didn't pay any in, so there isn't any money to give "back" to them. The money you get back in your refund is just that- it is the money you paid in to begin with- the rich folks aren't getting any of "our" money in their returns. They aren't getting any of the poor folks' money in their returns, either. It's their own money, and if that’s your return, then it's your money; do with it as you see fit.
IF, however, you're one of those who is complaining that you're not getting "back" enough of someone else's money, well, there is nothing anyone can say to make you sound more reasonable or your behavior to sound less shameless.
Wouldn't we all love to have more money we didn't earn? We could all get together and decide that anyone making more than X amount of money owes the rest of us a percentage of it! Majority rules, and since the majority of us don't make enough to be on the "sharing" end of that decision, that would pass. That is what most of this "equal distribution of wealth" argument boils down to, and that's just a bad, bad idea.
Tax codes won't actually deal with the disparity in earnings, which is the true concern; they are simply income transfers from one household to another, performed by an enormously expensive bureaucracy.Relying on income transfers to "equalize" a society creates unnecessary burdens throughout the society.
What we are saying when we complain that the "top 1%" benefit the most from a tax cut is that we have this drive to penalize those who have earned much in order to spread the wealth with those who have not earned as much. Let us not forget that taxes are refunded from what we have given in the first place. America isn't about equal success, it's about equal opportunity. We are ON the path to prosperity, but no politician can lift and carry every single person down that path. No government tax structure short of pure unadulterated* communism is ever going to make it equal. Our only hope for improving the lots of others is to get involved, motivate our communities, neighbors and LOCAL governments to make things better by rolling up our sleeves and working together.
Anyway, I don't think I will ever agree that those who show initiative and motivation need to be penalized or held responsible for the rest of the world. I don't think I will ever agree that anyone but Mr. Buffett deserves his tax refund unless he personally extends that money himself. After all, it's his to do with as he pleases. He got more back than we did, but he put more in to begin with, too.
* that's a joke, b/c there is no such thing as unadulterated communism- it will be corrupt, and there will still be inequalities, only under a communist government you don’t get to complain about it or try to “fix” it anymore*
3 comments:
http://www.lileks.com/bleats/archive/04/0604/062804.html
Go there and scroll down to "A minor political note" for my favorite anecdote about the tax cuts.
"What we are saying when we complain that the "top 1%" benefit the most from a tax cut is that we have this drive to penalize those who have earned much in order to spread the wealth with those who have not earned as much. Let us not forget that taxes are refunded from what we have given in the first place. America isn't about equal success, it's about equal opportunity. We are ON the path to prosperity, but no politician can lift and carry every single person down that path."
Dy, you ROCK!!! YES the top percentages benefit most from tax cuts, because THEY PAID THE MOST MONEY INTO TAXES IN THE FIRST PLACE! Jeff had a blog post last week, where he looked at figures that show that the top 40% of taxpayers pay 80% of the taxes. There are still so many people that equate rich with evil ... "rich" (and by some standards, I am rich) is bad, and therefore we must make the rich people pay for being successful. Bleah.
So, tell us what you really think. Come on. Don't hold back. :-)
On a similar but not a direct note: With some exceptions, those that have it still have it because they know how to keep it. Most people that are given large sums of money lose it all within a year or so because they don't know what to do with it. It's related to habit as much as anything else.
Redistribution of wealth rarely works for this reason. Giving money to those with less usually doesn't help anyone long term. Fat tax returns just buy a few weeks of splurging at the mall, not true help. I know because I'm one that doesn't have and I think I understand why after being hit in the head with financial problems a few times. You always wonder why you didn't take more care with money when you had it before.
Cheryl (konk)
Amen, sistah! Talk about tellin' it like it is!
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