Wayne,
i wasn't necessarily advocating wholesale asset taxes over income taxes. rather, i was pointing out a reasonable and rational way to view the elite wealthy as under paying their "fair share" of taxes.
1. i can see the point your making, but i'd look to balance this out with the idea that those most well off get the most benefits and should pay the most taxes. eg, a road means a lot more to a trucking company owner than to a typical employee so he ought to pay more for the roads.
truth be told, blind good fortune plays a much larger role in our lives than we'd like to admit. i include me here, too. the idea is that those who own the most stuff benefit the most from this country and ought to pay at least their share. if not, at least don't whine about paying less than what can reasonably be deemed your share all the while telling people how much more you pay.
2. i'm a lot like you. material things just don't do much for me. i value having things work for me vs working for my things. i don't want to be a slave to my stuff. having said that, nobody likes to be taxed. the exact argument could be made by a person who has a high income but very few assets. i should say *is* made by the guy who earns a lot with few assets because that *is* their argument, too. and it is just as reasonable, imho.
so, should nobody pay taxes?
i know a retired physician and i don't ever recall him saying he supported socialized health care until *after* he retired. in fact, i recall him arguing against it and pointing out how all those canadians come to the usa for quality care.
now that he no longer benefits directly from the private system due to retirement, he thinks the system ought to change because "too many people are uninsured and it isn't right" (mainly he and his wife, but it wouldn't sound right to say that, would it ;-) in short, he isn't making a nice income off of the system and so he prefers to have subsidized health care now that it would personally benefit him. of course, when his income was threatened, he didn't want anything to do with it and fought against it.
nobody likes being taxed. at some point, though, we need to pay the costs (which can always be lowered *if* that's what we'd vote for) or admit we are thieves stealing from our own descendants. i'm all for ending the pork barrel spending that plagues this country so we can all pay less in taxes, but somebody has to pay for current and past spending, too. i have no problem paying more than someone not as fortunate as i am and i don't think it is unreasonable for others more fortunate than i to pay a bit more, too.
unlike a retired physician i know, i will continue to hold this view regardless of my income, be it higher or lower.
at some point we have to move beyond self interest (the retired physician's "change of heart" is a perfect example of this) and do what is right. we don't and the debt we pass on to the next generation couldn't be more conclusive evidence to this fact.
btw, i feel your pain. i make every effort to be a lot healthier than the next person, yet i'll have to pay for their healthcare as their crappy lifestyles bankrupt the system and cut my benefits. i'll have to pay more taxes than a lazy person who doesn't want to work.
it isn't fair, but someone has to be responsible even if others chose not to be. frankly, i don't want those less fortunate than me paying more than i have to pay. there is something unethical about that. i also can't reconcile this concept with the scriptures. the idea that burdens be lessened on the poor and more placed on the wealthy is core concept in the lifestyle god lays out in the bible. |
