Quote:
There is enough wealth in the world for every single human to live comfortably with no one needing for basic things. Give everyone free housing, food, and healthcare for life and I'll be happy. Start everyone off with that safety net and you can have all the Laziez Faire capitalism you want.
I live quite comfortably as is, and I have a feeling this scheme would make me
less comfortable. The healthcare would cost me more and be less effective, and it continues.
Also, if wealthy people only get wealth from parents... where do they get it from? My great grandfather had nothing when he immigrated (legally) to this country. He worked hard to bring his wife from Italy and to have enough to make a better life for the next generation. My grandfather was fairly wealthy as a result of his father's work and my father and his brothers had the capital to start a franchise chain that has stood them in good stead for the last 30 years in the south. From this I got a good education, and small head start on my graduating peers.
You want to take some of that money and time that my family has invested over almost the last hundred years and use it to make others "comfortable". Excuse me for being calous, but ******* off[/i].
It seems to me when you tax the top of a population to help the bottom you deal with a resentment factor. Why should some wanna-be Rockafeller donate $10M to a cause when the government is going to tax him for $1M anyway. "They can take that and be glad". People stop handing out bread in the streets when the government starts taking it from their kitchens.
Thats how I feel when I see 30% of my paycheck dissapear every other week anyway. I still give to charity, the red cross, march of dimes, and just about any other cause that I have money for when I can. I'm not at the point where I can create jobs by starting buisinesses or anything, but I can tell you I'll get there 30% slower. I'm not living hand to mouth either, so I can afford to give a little.
Don't think I'm proposing a donation only tax system or anything but I just can't see that taking, even just enough for housing, from the rich to give to the poor. You then have a society that minimaly rewards non-working units. It cheapens the value of work in general, and if poor people had houses, the Govn't would probably see fit to drop minimum wage since they can't tax you on it anyway.
I think you'd have more luck with a sales-only tax. That way you could keep all of what you didn't want to spend. You could invest easier by not spending and wouldn't need to worry about the government taking what you want to save.
Of course, niether the "fair" tax or the current tax are perfect solutions as our nation needs a reliable form of income represented by the income tax. But trust me, every time you tax one of the Bill Gates, George Bushes, or Microsofts of the world... they're taking that dollar back from the consumer.
I have managed to ramble on and on. Bottom line: I'm not getting Social Security, FAFSA, or any government aid and I never will because I'll never qualify. Keep your mits off my money because I'll need it when I don't.