haha... NAFTA and amnesty for illegals is hardly defending the middle class. Both benefit big business at the expense of the middle class.

unbelievable..

The Dems are intent on destroying the middle class. They are more alined with big business and big govt. than the so-called Repubs.

If the Dems were serious about saving the middle class...which is also to help save our culture and way of life, they would be all over the illegal immigration issue by wanting the borders CLOSED, and prefering deportation for ANY illegal immigrant.

The middle class cannot and will not survive the onslaught of third world immigrants who are willing to work for lower wages and lower standards.

Well, seeing that only about 27% have a 4 year degree and then you would need 2 of those to marry and both of them to work yea I can see that being the case. It's not my fault if people don't go to college or marry others who didn't go to college. Why should I have to pay higher taxes just because I did those 2 things?

I dont think its as simple as that though. IF it were truly a merit based wealth where the FACT that one gets a degree and marries someone with a degree were a given to their financial wealth or where everyone had the same ACCESS to the types of degrees to put them in that wealth bracket or the same LIKELIHOOD of being hired based solely on having that same paper,,, it might be

but there are plenty of other factors to wealth beside the generally assumed 'merit based' model

For the most part we have the same access degrees. So there is not some rule that says only the top 3% can go after these degrees. Thats silly.

there are plenty of disparities between wages earned for equal degrees , and plenty of variance of salary depending upon the degree earned,, its not all about whether someone worked hard enough for four years in a college,, it depends on MUCH more than that

someone born into poverty , or in an impoverished community, is not likely to be given access to the same information and networks which aid them towards financially successful ends, as someone born in middle class to upper class communities

someone who doesnt have the same INTELLECTUAL capacity, doesnt have the same access to earning a degree

there are MANY factors which make it more complex than simply choosing a four year degree and marrying someone who has done the same,, so I would not agree that wealth is simply the obvious end for that specific choice as opposed to any others

As usual, the story leaves out the most important details to serve its bias. For example-high FED-caused inflation and congressional spending for 20+ years, not to mention out of control spending on absurd programs like Social Security and bottomless money-holes like the military, the CIA, and occupying foreign countries.

Yes but that is a minority. You want to argue that 73% fall into that category? Sorry but I think paying 10% more on taxes than the average american is punishment enough for the highest bracket.

so how do you balance out the years of Tax BREAKS and Loopholes that those have benefitted from that have not been available for other brackets?


if its everyone doing their equal share, than everyone should receive equal entitlements,, and if everyone doesnt have equal entitlements, it can hardly be equal everywhere else

sacrifices need to be made to make up for the previous glutton and oversight

and in response to the thread title


Im neither mad nor middle class,,lol

but sometimes deficiency has to be met with excess

like a rickets patient needing more vitamin a than normal patients
sometimes economic situations require more from some than others and sometimes past disparities have to be balanced out with equal and opposite excess

It is already not equal. The top bracket pays 10% more than the average american. Thats percentage of their salary. Lets look at it in the proper perspective. If you pay 25% and I pay 35% then I am paying 40% more than what you have to pay relative to the percentages. (because 25 X 1.4 = 35) Bumping it back to 39.5 would make it about 60% more which is 20% more relative to what they are already paying. (is everyone keeping up?)

Before Clinton raised taxes in 93 they were paying 31% so they are still paying a much higher percentage than in 93. Not everyone qualifies for loopholes. If you have a problem with the loopholes then ask the government to do something about that no raise taxes.

somehow I think taxes are the easier solution and the most likely to be implemented,,


but in reality I dont care one way or the other


its like this , to me

in the military, my husband had free room and board and medical and what he 'earned' he got to pocket


similarly, Id be willing to pay 50 percent tax if certain necessities like healthcare, education, stable economy, and national healthcare (perhaps national daycare too) were included in the price



I dont care what rich pay for taxes, as long as they arent given MORE of a break than those who still are struggling

Wow 50%? What if you don't have kids? Why should I have to pay for things like daycare if I don't have kids? If you could get private insurance for 4k a year why would you want a scaling tax percentage? I personally don't think the government is responsible for providing health care when companies are more than able to afford it.

If someone is making 50k and paying 25% and it gets bumped to 50% they are paying 12.5k more.
If you are making 100k and pay 28% and its bumped to 50% you are paying 22k more
If it is 200k at 33% and its now 50% you are paying 34k more.

It just keeps growing and growing. I am sorry but even the person making 50k could easily pay for health insurance and other things with that 12.5k. It keeps getting more an more ridiculous the more money you make.

doesnt matter if the kids are mine, they are still a significant part of the COMMUNITY I live in and the NATION I reside in and will have to be in positions one day where they might be the ADULTS I rely on

I would pay fifty percent for the GUARANTEE That those things would be provided, and I would pay it gladly

living without fear of the home being foreclosed on if I get sick, is worth it

living without worrying about healthcare if I should become unemployed, is worth it

right now I Am fostering some tumors that I would be GLAD to be rid of but dont have an employers insurance to cover and cant get private insurance for(yet) because its pre existing

I would much rather come up with the couple hundred in premiums to the government or in taxes, than the thousands it will cost out of pocket to get my health back,,,

So I consider daycare to be a private thing. It is not necessary. We can't take away all personal responsibility. The government is not here to baby us. When I move back to the US I will have to look for a job and have no health insurance while I do it. My meds will cost hundreds of dollars while I am w/o insurance. I have been saving just in case I have a hard time finding a job when I get back.

Right now if you lose your job you get unemployment. Cobra subsidizes your insurance cost by paying 66% of your premiums etc.

Our mindsets should not be for example "I want a kid but don't have either the time to look after them or a family member to look after them or the money to pay for daycare so the government should do it for me." We need to be responsible for ourselves and our families. The government should provide defense, education, roads, public services like police and firefighters. Companies pay unemployment not individuals.

Pretty soon people are gonna want the government to provide someone to wipe their *** because they are too lazy to do it themselves.

no, its called things not always going according to plan, and not punishing peoples children for it

give and take is not about laziness its about investment and return, any adult who has worked and paid taxes has INVESTED in certain things from the government who decides how to spend those taxes

I have worked since I was 18, meaning I have paid 23 years worth of taxes (taxes arent just income taxes) and I do expect certain securities in return for that investment

some that I would like to see are those instituted in other nations like the UK,, such as healthcare, childcare, education, and national safety and I would be willing to pay more in to get more out,,,

You do get things for those taxes such as schools, roads, police, fire fighters, etc. I have had a job since I was 16 so I have paid taxes too. I worked through high school and college. I got an engineering degree so I could pay the bills, work for a company that provides good insurance, and have money to pursue my passions. It's hard to pursue your passions if the government wants to tax 30+% of my salary.

If someone I graduated high school with decided to work at McDonald's and gets like 20k a year and I am making 75k I don't think I should have to pay incredibly more than him just because I decided to get educated and get a good job. If we went by your 50% taxes I would be paying almost double his whole salary in taxes.

Though then again at 30% taxes I would already pay almost his salary. Though 75k is more of someone with about 3 years experience or a masters degree so its more than what I would currently make but it is just an example.

I would make a larger investment to get a larger return,,,thats just me. ITs how they do it in the UK and I think it works pretty well for them, I would live there if my family werent HERE.

The point is "you" would be willing for that. If you don't make that much money than yea its not much more of an investment is it? But why should the Doctor who went to med school for 4 years after college who now makes 300k (random salary) and decided to have no children have to pay 18% more or 54k a year more for things he doesn't need? I mean him paying 150k a year sounds pretty crappy to me.

I dont want a nanny state. There are plenty of countries like that already. I would rather keep more of my own money and use it to pay for things I need. I know how to save and manage my own money. I don't need to government stepping in and taking it and saying they know how to use it better.

I don't want the government telling me what doctors I can go to. I know a guy that had a giant hole in his leg from an antibiotic resistant staff infection because his countries doctors didn't run sufficient tests because of their "government health care". I have also heard horror stories from acne sufferers who couldn't go to a dermatologist because their regular doctor wouldn't sign off on it. Bunch of red tape crap with government run HC.

America has always been a place where anybody can make their dreams come true...meaning that there is no laws holding them back.

And people have long aspired to become rich. Some have, some have'nt.
But with a BS tax like whats proposed for the rich, where's the incentive for someone to want to become wealthy if the govt. is effectively going to smack them back down again??

The leftists and socialists are all riding this wave of hatred against rich people all of a sudden, because they all think they are all Republicans who are in bed with big business.

But they dont want the same for the Democrats who are in the same position!!

But what about the ones who built their own fortunes by working hard and climbing to the top??....now they get to be penalized financially because there are many more who have not attained the same destination in life??