# I'm tired of Socialized Fire Fighting!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-socialized-fire-fighting/506373>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [August 14, 2009, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-socialized-fire-fighting/506373 "2009-08-14T02:25:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 167

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**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2009, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-socialized-fire-fighting/506373/167 "2009-08-16T04:26:09Z")

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> [@Whack-a-Mole](#):
>
> The flip side is the social contract (I think).
> 
> You live in a society. You have a responsibility to that society. Some have more means than others. Those with more means are a beneficiary of that society that lets them achieve whatever. Having them pay back into that society is right and proper.
> 
> The whole, “every dollar given to a starving kid on the street is a dollar not going to some entrepreneur who was creating an invention that could have improved the lives of a thousand people” is bullshit. We have tried trickle down economics and it has proven itself a colossal failure. On the flip side, this country prospered spectacularly in the 50’s when tax rates were ginormous for the rich. It has been shown that the economy flourishes more under Democratic leadership than it does under Republican leadership. More, while the Dems take more from the rich the rich still actually prosper more overall under the Dems. More poor people can buy their shit.
> 
> Look at Somalia and tell me the best solution is lack of government, the rich survive and poor get what’s coming to them. Is a Darwinian economic model the society we want?

The rich contribute to society just fine and still would even under a flat tax system…i.e., Joe Blow making $50,000 a year at 8% flat tax pays $4,000. Robert Gottrocks making $5,000,000 a year at 8% flat tax pays $400,000 dollars and contributes ten times as much to the economy as does Joe Blow.

Take away government-designed tax loopholes and institute a flat tax and the rich will ipso-facto pay their fair share (as anyone without a vested interest in greedily grabbing even more of their money for their own use can readily see).

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