Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Strategies & Market Trends : Bob Brinker: Market Savant & Radio Host -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Follies who wrote (14067)	5/10/2001 10:57:36 AM
From: Nandu	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 42834

I never understood what is fair about the governent stealing from one person to give to someone else, You are wrong to call taxes "stealing". Government is how a civilized society organizes itself. How do you suggest the government should fund itself? Print more money? but maybe you can answer this simple question. John works 40 hours a week and makes $50k a year, Mary works two jobs for a total of 80 hours a week and $100k. Why should Mary pay more than twice as much tax as John? I can't even understand why she shouldn't pay the same as John, or maybe even less than John because she is obviously more productive and the greater good of society benefits from her actions. Should someone be rewarded for working harder? That taxes or tax rebates should have something to do with rewarding people for what they do is a "commie liberal concept", isn't it? In my opinion, a higher income/more wealthy individual gets more protection from the government, and protecting its people is the primary function of government. Therefore, I don't find anything wrong with the idea of the rich paying more. I also don't understand this notion that death taxes are wrong while income taxes are wrong. Is there some divine edict or law of nature which says that income is taxable, but wealth is not? Wealth needs as much, or more, protection as income. Pay up.

To: Follies who wrote (14067)	5/10/2001 11:02:17 AM
From: Boca_PETE	Respond to of 42834

dale sinor - re:(" what is fair about the government stealing from one person to give to someone else ") You would have been a total failure in the former Soviet Union. P :-)

To: Follies who wrote (14067)	5/10/2001 11:57:46 AM
From: Skeeter Bug	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 42834

>>I never understood what is fair about the government stealing from one person to give to someone else, but maybe you can answer this simple question. John works 40 hours a week and makes $50k a year, Mary works two jobs for a total of 80 hours a week and $100k. Why should Mary pay more than twice as much tax as John? I can't even understand why she shouldn't pay the same as John, or maybe even less than John because she is obviously more productive and the greater good of society benefits from her actions. Should someone be rewarded for working harder?<< dale, as already pointed out, taxation is not stealing. it might become stealing once the govt goes over the deep end and frivolously wastes money like they do now (most of the wasted money going to the middle class and above), but it isn't necessarily so ;-) >>I never understood what is fair about the government stealing from one person to give to someone else, but maybe you can answer this simple question.<< i never understood what is fair about person "a" being born to affluent parents that send person "a" to the best school and person "b" being born in the ghetto where the parents of person "a" won't even dare to go - for 15 minutes let alone their first 18 years. perhaps you can explain the fairness of that. bottom line, life isn't always fair. btw, i argue the tax system is fair. why? EVERYONE is under the SAME laws (well, except for congress, those sobs). now, does this fair system have the potential to be overly punative to certain segments of society? yes. but it is still fair b/c everyone plays by the same rules. unfair would be different rules for the same circumstances. >>John works 40 hours a week and makes $50k a year, Mary works two jobs for a total of 80 hours a week and $100k. Why should Mary pay more than twice as much tax as John?<< first, mary is under the exact same tax system as john and she knows the rules going in. second, mary has a choice. she can work one job and pay the same as john if he is getting such a good "deal" and she is so "ripped off." it is a free country, right? third, all else being equal, mary uses more services. the potential for workers comp is over double. she uses more roads. mary can better afford it due to her personal choice. just like john would be able to more afford paying more should he make $100k a year. remember, john pays a higher % of his income in social security tax than does mary. of course, mary isn't arguing to raise her social security tax in the interest of "fairness." ;-) why? the REAL game is lowering one's own taxes more than everyone else. please don't misconstrue what i'm saying. i am not for "big government." i am for reasonable government. the government wastes billions and i guarantee those billions in waste are not directed at the poor. they are directed toward revamping beaches in front of multimillion dollar hotels in florida so the owner does not have to do it himself. i think he donated $100k to the govt decision maker to get this done (one story i saw on tv). >>Should someone be rewarded for working harder?<< dale, you are rewarded for working harder, smarter and for just being lucky, too. i know this to be true. so do you. why? b/c if you weren't then you'd make sure you made less money to reap all the benefits of lower taxation. but, alas, you don't. why? b/c you are rewarded to do more. just like i am. so, why do you phrase the question in such a way that is misleading as though those folks who make more aren't rewarded when they clearly are? something to ponder - why aren't the facts enough to ponder. why use misleading language? why is it necessary?