I wanted to do something on taxation. I wanted to look into what Presidents ACTUALLY had the lowest tax rates and for who. So I went looking for some kind of bell-curve or data that showed me year-by-year how many people were making what, and who was REALLY paying more or less in taxes. And I may still do that, but in my search I came across something that drove home the age-old point about how fucked up we are as a country and as an economy in terms of wealth and income distribution. It's a bit old, and I couldn't use the 'zoom' function with my browser, but please check it out. It does a much better job that I could illustrating the problem, and saves me the trouble of trying to:
The L-Curve
Consider this the next time you find yourself in a discussion with some idiot who's on the 50-yard line and talking about how he wants the government to "cut spending," "lower taxes" and all that. Because Obama's only put the 99 and 100 yard lines in play. And just look at those guys. THOSE are the guys who benefit from reduced spending and taxes. The guys to the left of th 99 yard line? Every single one of them ought to be ADVOCATING for a little INCOME re-distribution. (From the to 1-2% to the bottom 98.)
(And that's another thing - let's stop these fools on the Right from talking about redistributing wealth, huh? WEALTH isn't taxed. This is about INCOME. You know... that whole, "An honest days pay for an honest days work" that they kept yapping about as they destroyed the Unions?
Apparently they meant that to apply to Chinese Workers.
And if you never considered how this might be done without screwing over the middle class, I'd like to offer a few ideas that you should consider that the Right, as well as what passes for the Left in this country, would never consider:
An Argument for Proportionate Payhttp://eddiecabot.blogspot.com/2010/03/argument-for-proportinate-pay.html
and
In defense of Progressive Taxation
I had come across this interactive graph on USA Today and I thought you might find it handy in your taxation quest.
ReplyDeleteI had plenty of fun with it seeing the percentage of taxes earned of those making $30,000, $300,000, and $3,000,000.
You also make an interesting point in discussing the differences between "wealth" and "income." The teabag right wants you to think that the progressives are going to march onto your property and seize your things, but I believe that they are the ones more likely to do that. If Christine O'Donnell were to be elected, I'm sure she would use the government to try and seize any and all contraceptives and pornography and try to legislate a new morality for America...
Kevin,
ReplyDeleteSee now... That just digusts me! I put in my own salary. And it was pretty clear that 'my people's' tax burden has been steadily falling. Now... in and of itself, that's fine. It's not like I (or anyone) WANT to pay jigher taxes. But WTF is with these idiotic teabagers, demanding EVEN LOWER taxes all the while screamign about the deficit?! How fucking stupid (and greedy) ARE these people?!
It's high time the politicians called these people out as whiners and cheapskates, gave them a history lesson and told them to grow and pay their share!
Yeah: THAT'LL happen! LOL
But... It NEEDS to.
I really hate these ignorant fucking tea-baggers.
Thanks for the comment and the link. I'll definitly be going back to that.
I find it amazing to hear the teabaggers complain about high taxes, then complain about half of America not paying taxes, and then complain about how Obama raised THEIR taxes. I bet if one of those idiots entered their info into the graph, they would claim it is a communist publication and that it was based on lies!
ReplyDeleteOh, and don't forget the defict! That's their #1 concern, right?
ReplyDeleteAnd despite the fact they could check it on their paystubs and tax records, you're probably right, the ignorant bastards.