Can you be socially progressive and fiscally conservative?

Oh yeah, it's class warfare all right. "You have more than I do and that's wrong! GIMME GIMME GIMME!"

Socially progressive and fiscally realist.

Baba, how much money do you make?

No.

Baba is paid in string and shiny buttons.

No, those who benefit most from society contribute most. And that's those at the top - denying it won't make it untrue.

That statement was one hundred percent pure envy. The point of taxation shouldn't be to punish people.

The point of working isn't just to fill the basic needs of life. If that's your ambition then fine but some of us aim higher than that. It's also should not be the business of government to penalize success.

What a load of crap. Everyone has access to public education and facilities as everyone else. They ALL pay for that. In fact those that are middle class or higher pay more due to the fact public education is paid for by property taxes. Poor people don't own property.

Regardless, some people choose to apply themselves in school and improved their status while while others chose not to and now lack the skillset for any job above burger flipper.

Show me a proper minimum wage that isn't ridiculous. Lately all I've heard is fifteen dollars an hour for fast food workers. You're never going change minds with that crap.

Indeed, a good article recently pointed out that what too many people ignore is that the tools to become a financial success in the U.S. (at least to the lower middle class level) are things that are pretty much in reach of anyone.

1) Don't get pregnant or get someone pregnant when you're a teenager.
2) Stay in school
3) Don't abuse drugs of any kind.
4) Get married and stay married.
5) Eat healthy and get adequate exercise.

Do those five basic things and the vast majority of problems that leave you poor will largely disappear.

Now , you'll probably end up attending school you don't like and taking jobs you don't like but that is a relatively small price to pay for a secure financial existence.

You're not just reliant on "burger-flippers", and pretending otherwise is evidence that the rich haven't necessarily benefited from the educational system or even their own ability.

The rich need accountants to manage their wealth, infrastructure engineers to maintain the underpinnings they access (secure banking networks, etc). Highly skilled workers THEY benefit from, but who will never earn as much as they do, so should pay less tax because they benefit less.

This "sweat of my brow" shit had a place when a man really did only own what he produced himself or could directly barter for, but in a post-barter society you damn well rely on those who make the monetary system work and those who maintain the trade networks.

PS, fuck off with the envy bullshit. I earn all I need to. Yes, I've worked for it, but taxpayer initiatives put me through university (they didn't guarantee I'd PASS, hence my work, and subsequently I've had to make my own career happen) so I happen to be mindful of how much society helps us. You, on the other hand, don't appear to have given thought to anything except hard cash, which doesn't reflect well on you outside Ayn Rand's masturbatory fanfics.

He does that a lot.

The real question here is why does it take that many years to learn how to brew shitty beer?

This comment makes no sense at all. You clearly are clueless on the skill level that is needed in not only acquiring wealth but also holding on to it and making it grow. If you don't believe me just look up every moron athlete or lottery winner who squandered their millions. There are MANY of them.

No shit sherlock. And none of them are making minimum wage which was who we were talking about in the first place. But if you want to change lanes and go down that road...

The benefit is a two way street because if it wasn't for the rich hiring them in the first place they wouldn't be making near the same money working for joe schmo who can't figure out a simple 1040.

The good old American cult of "I'ma be a rich man some day!" continues to thrive.

Thing is, some of us ticked off all those boxes and more and still ain't got shit. But according to the Someday Cult, there's always SOMEthing that "if you had only done this instead of that, you could be rich to so it's your own fucking fault we look down on you."

Another doctrine of the cult is that if the rich pay more in taxes it must be because someone is jealous and wants to punish them. Since that's the only possible reason.

did I miss the post or comment in which someone here argued otherwise?

Another old leftwing talking point that misses the mark. I remember seeing that remark on The West Wing show and thinking "I'm perfectly happy where I am and have no delusions of ever being rich. I just think the rich already pay their fair share. "

Speaking of the West Wing

Anyone?

I was responding to the arguments made in the article, not with a specific poster.

Because that would be regressive taxation?

Notice that the flat-tax people are still completely silent...

One principle my parents taught me was to never be jealous of people with money.