re: 65% Estate Tax Proposal

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It's not right when the rich pay half, but it's right when the poor pay half?

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Its not right for anyone to pay that much. I have never advocated for that.

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It simply follows that some people would owe more than they make in order to have a government that functions at all,

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You'll have to define "functions at all". I'd argue that outlet government could be orders of magnitude smaller and still fulfill it's Constitutional responsibilities. Why presume current government is correctly sized? If you dare to think that far beyond your presumption.

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So we should see what the poorest people can afford, and then everyone pay that much?

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Didnt say that either. We should be trying to extract as much as we can from anyone. Rich or poor.

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We would have no government, no military, no law enforcement. Nothing.

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we had all of those things before we had a federal income tax.

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And you can bet... that if we shared the burden equally, the severely underfunded law enforcement, roadways, military, etc. would have the rich begging to pay more very quickly.

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Or maybe they will pay for their own personal expenses, rather than relying on the government to do it?

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So you prefer a government that serves the needs of no one?

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Didn't say that. The government should serve our interests equally. What's wrong with paying for that equal for equal treatment?

Would you expect to get the same attention from strippers in a club if you're tipping with singles and the guy next to you is making it rain with $100s? Politicians are no better than strippers.

If your heirs can't make it work on 45% of your billions, then

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I have no problem with the true flat tax. Not talking about rate. Talking about dollar per dollar.

If the real flat tax is 10K then a millionaire pays 10K. The garbage man pays 10K. It's total equality. Isn't that what egalitarians want?

If the govt cannot do with that income then frick the govt.

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How exactly is a flat-tax fair at all to everyone middle class and below? If anything it would make income equality even worse than it is today.

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How exactly is a flat-tax fair at all to everyone middle class and below? If anything it would make income equality even worse than it is today.

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It is fair because everyone pays the same amount of money.

I have no problem with income inequality. It is the natural state of humans.

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Double, treble, quadruple taxation is wrong, and it wouldn't be so egregious except that they come to us, again and again - this year, for example - RECORD receipts, yet it's never enough. They will still run hundreds of billions in the red with record receipts.

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This is another reason why I oppose it.

It will never be enough. As soon as they expand programs and it begins costing more, they'll ask for more money again.

So, they can piss off.

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We can all agree that government needs tax revenues. Of course, there will always be disagreement as to how much (i.e., how much should we be spending), but there is some minimal amount.

So, what is the fairest way to achieve that level of revenue.

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The fairest way would be to have a low flat income tax and moderate federal sales tax. That way rich and poor are equal. There could be an exemption for say the first 20k that way the extremely poor are protected and the sales tax could be waived for items like medicine and fuel (since there is already a fuel tax).

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Comparing the Holocaust to taxing the 1% a little bit more on estate tax, real similar.

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Ita not. But I wasn't comparing to gassing them. I was comparing it to selecting a slim minority to discriminate against. By your logic Whites should not have concerned themselves with segregation. After all, it made more jobs available for them. Perhaps that's a better analogue?

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Sorry, I should have stated the question differently. What makes people more dependent by raising the estate tax a little bit more?

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Didn't you suggest it was a benefit to those unaffected?

It seems clear that without disproportionate taxation, the burden of funding the government at current levels would "trickle down".

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How exactly is a flat-tax fair at all to everyone middle class and below? If anything it would make income equality even worse than it is today.

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Well, we must first answer the question "what is the tax code for? Is the purpose of the tax code to enforce income equality? Or fund the government in the most equitable and even manner while being least intrusive on individuals?

Let's face it, a small amount from 100% of the people is far more fair, and far less oppressive than taking almost all of it from less than 10% of the people.

Trying to fund the government off of the 1% for the benefit of the other 99% has never seemed "fair" to me.

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you can't honestly compare the 1% with the oppression of blacks during segregation.

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Really? You can't see that the slim minority ("the rich") are having their property taken from them to the benefit of the majority? And you can't see that at the voting booth they are essentially defenseless to the majority?

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I'm trying really hard to understand why people like you jump through hoops to defend the 1% so much when it goes against your best interests.

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Maybe we don't like slim portions of our society being demonized and punished for doing nothing wrong? Maybe we don't covet other's wealth?

You're basically saying people should be greedy of other's successes. To go so far as to be willing to seize it by force for their own benefit. Ironically, as a method of equalizing the "greed" of "the rich". Nothing could be more greedy and selfish as to deny another's success for the benefit of one's self.

One does not have to be rich to be greedy.

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It wouldn't directly benefit them but indirectly benefit everyone as there would be more taxes revenue coming in.

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Why should a slim minority be forced into a public benefit?

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t really doesn't matter what politicians do. Rich people will outsmart you every fricking time. WHY? BECAUSE RICH PEOPLE ARE POLITICIANS.

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Simple solution! Get rid of the smart people!