Is it me or is the Democratic Party falling apart?

[1ViciousGSX]

Febo, how does the government get taxes??? Think about it.

The government gets them through sales taxes, but when people can't afford to purchase items they want the government loses that tax revenue. No sales = no sale tax collected. Although sales tax is mostly on the state level, they're going bankrupt too.

The government gets them through income taxes, but if people don't spur a healthy economy by doing and buying the things they want, income levels (both corporate and individual) come down and so does income tax revenue. But how can you spur an economy when all you go is go from pay check to pay check because of low wages and/or high taxes, high government imposed fees, etc.?

If the government is given control over all of our money, they will be picking the winners and the losers, and some of this is already happening. You think you'll rep the benefits of it, or only the elite with ties to politicians and lobbyist?

Look at history, has our government been good stewards of our money? Why give them more to throw away. You want to raise the income level for the government?? Then raise the living standards of the populous, not take more away from them.

Stop making the bottom 40% tax exempt and make everybody who earns something pay something in. Stop all of the socialist programs and make everybody responsible for their own lives.

[Febo]

I'm actually having this same debate on facebook right now.

The reason I say keep the rates they way they are is because of this.

Everyone says the top 10% pay 40% of the income taxes in America.

Have you stopped to think about how much money the top %10 actually have?

If you combined all of the bottom %50 of the income brackets and then held them in comparison to the top %10 it would be pitiful. Just fucking pathetic.

So when we tax the upper %10 at %18 then that tax money is going to look inflated compared to the bottom %50. Those of us under $250,000 dont have much to tax. So keep our taxes at %25-30, but tax the top %10 the same.

The top %10 are your big corporate owners, they are the ones who hold your jobs in limbo because they do not want to take a $500,000 pay cut to save 10 jobs. And last time I checked, $500,000 of $1 billion is like a drop in the bucket.

Start thinking in context here. I know its hard to think that high up past your own personal paycheck, but you always talk about the big picture. So think about this big picture. Government is not your only enemy. It is big business who is fucking you in the ass. The politicians are at least the ones giving us the reach around while it happens.

[1ViciousGSX]

That's why I said "raise the standard of living in this country vs. raising taxes". The rich will always have their tax shelters, off shore accounts, etc. But if you force the standard of living upwards, the economy will fix it self.

[Kevin 1G Drummer]

Originally Posted by 1ViciousGSX

The rich will always have their tax shelters, off shore accounts, etc

That's the kind of shit that needs to stop. IMO, it's wrong for companies to make their money here, then find ways to not pay taxes on it.

[Febo]

This has just become a cyclical argument. Because I can now argue for the advancement of education, social assistance to help restore this economy and get people on their feet, and the reduction of America's debt so that we can become more competitive on the global stage.

Since it is cyclical. I am done here.

[mdost03]

Originally Posted by Febo

Again, imagine YOU are bankrupt and are going to lose your sweet SRT-4. What would you do to pay off the debt owed so you can keep your car?

If you say "well I would work more" or "find a better paying job" or "work two jobs" or anything to that effect, then you have totally went against your logic for the government in every way. The government NEEDS taxes to operate. By giving money to the people you will help stimulate the economy, but you will still lynch the government on repaying its debt by cutting taxes.

I wouldn't be bankrupt in the first place. I live within my means and don't make big purchases unless I know I can afford them. If I was like the government, I would spend all my money, savings, max out credit card, keep getting credit cards and rack up the debt on those, borrow money from friends and family, and then end up bankrupt because I wouldn't be able to pay it all off. That is basically what the government has done and the American people have to be the ones to fix it with getting taxed.

And to clarify, I am not advocating ending taxes (which is what you are making it seem). I am an advocate of cutting them down to more reasonable levels so everyday Americans can keep more of their hard-earned money instead of giving it all away.

But to answer your original question, I would probably cut down on entertainment to afford more (movies, eating out at restaurants, impulse buys, etc.) There are a lot of things I could do besides "work more" to pay off things.

[311evo]

Febo, when are you going to realize that the Government isn't taxing us more so they can bail us out, but so that they can try and bail themselves out.