23% sales tax; no fed. income tax

[brianwspencer]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Perfect world models are silly unless you are stoned or tripping on acid

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Think of the world if we gave all people equal opportunity at the moment of our birth. Do you not think that some would lead while others would follow? Would not some become great successes while others become common criminals? You seem to equate wealth with a poor sense of morality. As though the rich are somehow taking advantage of the poor by being rich?

That's a sort of game. set. match. thing. There is really no combatting this example. If you leveled the playing field, it would just become unequal immediately again. Well said.

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

If not for that dream, whats to motivate the poor? Why work hard to achieve when Sommerfrost is going to steal from the rich so that we have "equality"?

I struggle with this idea -- as I would like for our government to tax the wildly wealthy more (not 90% though), but then again the government may not be the best source of success in combatting poverty given their incredible track record thus far. So no matter how you approach it, you end up at the same problem. We need more money and more resources to combat poverty and the wild inequality we have -- but what do we do? We take the money from the rich and let the government waste it on ineffective ways to motivate the poor and poverty stricken? It's a catch-22, because you lose both ways. I'm not saying it can't be done, I'm just saying we haven't figured out how to do it yet. How do we really help those stuck in poverty and unable to get out while at the same time not just handing money over to those in poverty due to their laziness and lack of motivation? You can't have a motivation test on paper to determine who gets the actual help and who gets a hearty "too bad for you."

And it's far easier when i'm not wildly rich, because I'm pretty sure that if I somehow got there, I'd be pissy about people wanting more of my money too because I would say I had earned it fair and square.....

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by brianwspencer

That's a sort of game. set. match. thing. There is really no combatting this example. If you leveled the playing field, it would just become unequal immediately again. Well said.



I struggle with this idea -- as I would like for our government to tax the wildly wealthy more (not 90% though), but then again the government may not be the best source of success in combatting poverty given their incredible track record thus far. So no matter how you approach it, you end up at the same problem. We need more money and more resources to combat poverty and the wild inequality we have -- but what do we do? We take the money from the rich and let the government waste it on ineffective ways to motivate the poor and poverty stricken? It's a catch-22, because you lose both ways. I'm not saying it can't be done, I'm just saying we haven't figured out how to do it yet. How do we really help those stuck in poverty and unable to get out while at the same time not just handing money over to those in poverty due to their laziness and lack of motivation? You can't have a motivation test on paper to determine who gets the actual help and who gets a hearty "too bad for you."

And it's far easier when i'm not wildly rich, because I'm pretty sure that if I somehow got there, I'd be pissy about people wanting more of my money too because I would say I had earned it fair and square.....

Unlss you specify specific groups or demographics it is impossible to come up with any blanket solution or plan to deal with the poor and suffering. Certainly taxing the rich to death will not solve anything except satisfy those who envy the wealthy. I always thought it strange that the first group that it attacked when dealing with the poor is the rich. I'm sure that I personally am not considered rich by most on this board, however if I was to relocate to a third world country with the same income level I would be considered mega wealthy. It is all relative.
Most people who attack the wealthy are simply envious. It is easy to take the supposed high groind when you dont have anything to lose.
My standard of living allows me to be able to live in a great house in an upscale neighborhood. I drive a luxury SUV. I own racehorses. Should I sell these things, move into public housing and send the govt my money? Why take from me for others that have no connection to me except for the fact that we are "brothers" according to Sommerfrost? It makes no sense. What I'm not who we are talking about? Bill Gates then? Should he not deserve to do with his money what he pleases? His CREATIONS have advanced the world far more than the 30 billion that he is worth would.
We are not robots. We are people. We love. We hate. We are imperfect being living in an imperfect world. Accept the rich as you do the poor. Dont disciminate against sucessful people because they are sucessful. Dont try to set another persons morality level. If I said that I hate the poor because they are worthless people who drag down society, what would you think of me? So why is ok to say the same thing of the rich?