The part I don’t get is where you assume that 90% of the wealth = 90% of the income. This isn’t necessarily so, and we pay an INCOME tax, not a wealth tax.
:smack: :smack: :smack: :smack: :smack: :smack: This is one of the many memes that demonstrates just how stupid and/or duplicitous right-wingers are.
The reason that the tax share paid by the rich is increasing is that their share of the pie is increasing. One would examine rates rather than the tangled factoid quoted if information, rather than propaganda, were the goal.
Come back and tell us whether you’re too stupid to understand even this much simple arithmetic. Or whether you think we’re stupid, so you seize on a statistical factoid to deceive.
So talking about tax laws and advocating change is forbidden? 
It that your best argument? “Shut up and don’t talk about it, because that’s the law!”
No, but context is everything…the terms “tax evaders” and “tax avoidance”, implies that they are breaking the law. I don’t hear people that deduct their mortgage interest referred to as tax evaders, but apparently by your definition they are.
Call me a radical, but I’d prefer raising taxes on the wealthy and eliminating corporate welfare, and using the money for social programs and stuff like repairing our collapsing infrastructure, instead of funding pointless foreign wars that are none of our fucking concern.
(Who cares about Isis, anyway? Nobody’s worshiped her since the Middle Kingdom!)
Sometmes they are breaking the law. Sometimes it’s a judgement call. Accounting has many gray areas.
The mortgage interest deduction is designed specifically to reduce taxes. That is it’s reason, so as to encourage home ownership. So using it to avoid taxes is in line with the intent of the law.
In the case of transfer pricing, if the intent is to avoid taxes, rather than some other legitimate business reason, then it is not in line with the intent of the law.
Fair enough. But controlling such vast wealth leads to enjoying huge passive income in the form of dividends and other capital gains, which are taxed at a lower rate, which causes billionaires to pay a lower tax rate than their secretaries and office-mates, see here:
While the specific solution is elusive in the short term, the question of whether or not this state of affairs amounts to injustice is clear: it is injustice.
Anyway, what I want to promote with this thread is something like the Agree To Pay For Bombing ISIS Or STFU Act (we can refine the language later), which would behave in the following way: all expenses relating to combating ISIS would be tallied for as long as the conflict ensues, including expenses related to caring for returning veterans for as long as their care is required. The bill would be paid by raising taxes in a prorated way on earners making $250k and above, in a progressive fashion. So, for example, there would be brackets for $250k-$500k, $500k- $1 million, $1 million- $2 million, $2 million- $5 million, $5 million to $10 million, and $10+ million. The rate increases as you go up the brackets, and is calibrated so that the.entire.bill is paid by this supplemental income tax. If health care bills for the war last 30 years, then this Act is in effect for that period of time.
If this can’t be agreed upon in advance of commencing hostilities against ISIS, then I guess Iraq and Syria are on their own and we don’t do jack shit, because there are other threats to Americans besides Middle Eastern gunmen, such as rising deficits threatening to eliminate food stamps, Social Security, Medicare, Welfare, Education, and a host of other programs that protect our most vulnerable citizens from disease, death, poverty, hopelessness and despair. ISIS ain’t shit compared to our domestic concerns. Truly.
It is pretty simple really, and basic justice. One doesn’t need a degree in philosophy, economics or ethics to figure it out. Anyone opposed to this proposal deserves to be deeply ashamed of their corrupt soul, and should immediately STFU.
Now, don’t go fishing for compliments…
Don’t smack yourself until you concuss! That was 8 days ago. (9 now) For Christ’s sake, get a hobby. Here :
FFTFY
What is your gibberish?? I refuted your bombast and this is your answer?
And why does the fact that it takes me 8 days to notice your stupidity mean I need a hobby?
If I weren’t sure you were stupid before, I am now.
Good. Glad that’s settled. Apologies for offending you here. Clearly the wrong forum for such. I certainly roo posting in this thread and I promise to never do so again.
I am stupid, always out of the loop, getting old and snarky, which, combined with my feeble intellect is truly pathetic. I will leave now - never to … never to … dammit, what was I going to say? Anyway, bye.
Actually, I believe you’ll find that this is a more accurate depiction of a roo posting.
IT’S SO FLUFFY I COULD DIE
I’m not really out to sort out who is and isn’t stupid. I want to call attention to the fact that there is another $1 trillion war in the offing, and nobody is presenting a strategy for paying for it. You know what that means? It means it will be paid for with yours and my cancelled Social Security benefits, that’s what.
It is as if there never was any difference between Obama and W Bush. First this administration found an excuse to not follow through on their campaign plank of raising taxes on those making over $250k, even though they controlled all three branches of government. Now, with nary a peep about how it will be paid for, Obama says We will ‘degrade and destroy’ ISIS:
Remember when this was about preventing genocide, preventing ISIS from shelling the Kurds and Baghdad? As predicted, the mission has escalated all the way up to a full-scale regional war. There is no way to destroy ISIS without boots on the ground (at least according to my Iraq veteran pal and my own judgement)- we’re talking about a $1 trillion war.
It is awful that two journalists were killed by these maniacs. But how many people will starve without Social Security, without food stamps? How many people will endure blighted futures because our education system is being ‘degraded and destroyed’? What about the 30,000 gun deaths that occur within our own borders every year? How many will die without Medicaid? We will have to cut it all if we keep fighting wars on a credit card, something right-wingers very badly want and something Obama apparently isn’t giving any thought to preventing.
I don’t care if the revenue is raised specifically via a supplemental income tax on high-earners. A simpler method would be to simply calculate how much of an increase in the capital gains tax would be required to pay the bill. Heck, I’d be affected by that, but at least the bill would be paid and I could then go ahead and approve this war.
As it stands though, you gotta agree to pay for bombing ISIS or STFU.
Okay, I agree to pay for it via cuts of numerous other federal government programs we have no need for.
Cut taxes! Then, the economy booms so spectacularly that the government more than makes up the revenue loss! All the real economists know that this is a perfectly practical and sensible approach, its called the Laughable Curve, IIRC.
Also, cut the minimum wage to $5.25/hr., further fueling economic growth, and incentivizing military recruitment!
Unlike the stupid Bush adventure (which changed a country under control into the hornet’s nest we see today), I think a war against ISIS needs to be fought. I have no specific suggestions, but it seems like an opportunity for some of the saner countries (especially Iran and U.S.) to drop their differences and ally for stability.
Curious what you think the big unneeded programs are? The biggest “discretionary” programs are the military itself, Homeland Security, Veterans’ Benefits. Most of the Education budget that the nutcases want to abolish goes for direct grants, especially for disadvantaged students.
Nah, none of that will be necessary. In 2-3 weeks, after we’ve conquered Iraq and the citizens are lauding us as liberators, the state oil company we create will surely generate enough money to pay for it all.
I’ll second septimus. Which ones? We could cut aid to Israel, but that come close to paying for a regional war.
I have to admit that there has been at least some movement in the direction of my demands. See Obama push to get Syria measure in funding bill could muddle dividing lines in Congress:
So, at least some of the war effort is being funded, but OTOH it does not appear to be funded via tax increases nor is this a comprehensive funding measure for the entire war effort.
I am compelled to STFU just a little bit in light of this development, but there are still many who need to STFU far more than I until this issue is fully resolved.