The Scourge of America with Integrity (On Topic Only Please)

[Fred's Myth]

To all my BC Brethren,

I am firmly convinced that the scourge of American Society is the absurd accumulation of power resulting from the absurd accumulation of wealth.

In principle I am strongly in favor of a progressive income tax that de incentivizes this absurd accumulation of wealth and the resultant corrupt political power that goes along with it.

I have posted this elsewhere but I feel it need to be repeated here for possible discussion:

I have the suspicion that as long as the rich politicians and rich corporations that own them can keep the non-rich fighting the moral high ground issues for their political gain and that IMO they mostly regard from a political perspective their purposes will be furthered because the non-rich will not seek to address the real scourge of American society; the absurd accumulation of power through the absurd accumulation of wealth.

I am all for a new progressive income tax rate system that unashamedly taxes the richest of the rich up to 91% and the poorest of the poor 0%.

Disclaimer:

My idea would certainly would put me in the 0% bracket.

Sincerely,
I

Cut to the chase…… kill the wealthy and redistribute their money.

Your envy isn’t attractive.

 

[Thebrownblob]

I favor a 10% sales tax across the board, including for the purchase and sale of capital assets. Abolish the income tax.

That is a great idea, and exactly why they will never do it.

 

[Fred's Myth]

Not to me.

How is this relevant to what I believe to be the scourge of American society and the possible removal of said scourge?

Look in your mirror for the Scourge of America.

 

[Integrity]

Are you thinking if we take from the rich and give to the poor that there's enough to eliminate poverty? Could you please explain why we still have poverty in spite of programs that have spent, after adjusting for inflation, trillions since the 1960's?

Should we punish those who create jobs? I have a problem with those who make promises in exchange for my labor then turns out they never intended to keep those promises. But in general if a guy strives to start a business and works hard to make it successful, providing goods or services people want, and provides gainful employment to others, shouldn't he be rewarded? If you tax the producers too much and redistribute to non producers because that's "fair", pretty soon producers will never even try because what's the point?

People should be content with the results of the efforts they make. If you don't go to school and settle for jobs that don't require expertise, and that provide you with a place to live, food to eat, clothes to wear, a tv, phone, and car, anything else is gravy. If a person isn't satisfied with that, instead of looking to take away from those who strive more than they do they should learn to strive more too. It's the envy of those with nice things that's the true scourge of America.

I exist on little income thanks to my dad. My dad worked sun up to past sundown for decades and has nice things and a comfortable retirement. I can argue that he also benefited from buying a home in the 60's for by today's standards a pittance and was able to pay it off early because his income greatly increased with inflation in the 70's. Part of having nice things sometimes means being in the right place at the right time. I worry about young adults today trying to figure out how to buy a home at today's prices in a service economy.

And that's the crux of the matter. Today's economy has put wealth into fewer hands and a lot of people are realizing their education put them in debt without a lot of opportunity to pay it off and have the life they envisioned. So they look at those who are successful and think that's unfair and we should take his wealth away by taxation. So it boils down to envy. Again, a lot of business owners deserve scorn for how they treat employees. But as the Apostle Paul once wrote: "....for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content."

How any of what you say relevant to what I believe to be the scourge of American society and the possible removal of said scourge?

 

[Integrity]

Look in your mirror for the Scourge of America.

That is not how I see it.

 

[Integrity]

Cut to the chase…… kill the wealthy and redistribute their money.

Your envy isn’t attractive.

Never.

Never.

 

[BadIdeaGuy]

How any of what you say relevant to what I believe to be the scourge of American society and the possible removal of said scourge?

Why would we want to remove it when we don't agree with you?

 

[Integrity]

Why would we want to remove it when we don't agree with you?

I don’t know why you would even want to talk about it but to directly answer your question above: I don’t know.

 

[Thebrownblob]

How any of what you say relevant to what I believe to be the scourge of American society and the possible removal of said scourge?

It wouldn’t remove the scourge it would have extreme unintended (at least by you) consequences. The first people to be hurt in the extreme would be the people who you think would be helped….the poor. Those rich people you want to tax at 91% will no longer provide jobs for those poor people they will suffer and their poverty will be even more extreme. The economy will grind to a halt, innovation in technology and in healthcare, will disappear, The rich will be just fine. It will actually just centralize wealth to fewer people even more. I’m going to assume most of what you’re saying is what you wish, because I don’t believe you’re silly enough to believe it would actually work. That’s not how human beings operate. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

 

[BrownFlush]

 

[BadIdeaGuy]

I don’t know why you would even want to talk about it but to directly answer your question above: I don’t know.

Like many of the other threads you make, you've come sailing in postulating a common notion that no one else has agreed to.
Then you want us to spend the rest of the thread trying to work off of the foundation you've provided.

It's absurd, and not a fair discussion practice.

 

[sailfish]

That is a great idea, and exactly why they will never do it.

A better idea is abolishing all taxes.

 

[Thebrownblob]

A better idea is abolishing all taxes.

But then @bacha29 whole existence would be meaningless!

 

[Integrity]

Like many of the other threads you make, you've come sailing in postulating a common notion that no one else has agreed to.
Then you want us to spend the rest of the thread trying to work off of the foundation you've provided.

It's absurd, and not a fair discussion practice.

Please enlighten me as to how you would suggest I proceed fairly with the discussion.

 

[vantexan]

How any of what you say relevant to what I believe to be the scourge of American society and the possible removal of said scourge?

You're essentially saying that some having a lot of wealth while some don't is the scourge of America. In other words it's envy between the haves and have nots. Your taxing people to take away their wealth won't cure anything because it's never enough. You're just sticking it to the wealthy.

 

[Fred's Myth]

You're essentially saying that some having a lot of wealth while some don't is the scourge of America. In other words it's envy between the haves and have nots. Your taxing people to take away their wealth won't cure anything because it's never enough. You're just sticking it to the wealthy.

Not only that, but tax money is under the custodianship of the federal government.

And we all know how responsible the federal government is with our tax money!

 

[Integrity]

You're essentially saying that some having a lot of wealth while some don't is the scourge of America. In other words it's envy between the haves and have nots. Your taxing people to take away their wealth won't cure anything because it's never enough. You're just sticking it to the wealthy.

Tryin to reply fairly.

What you are saying is inaccurate.

Having a lot of wealth and the absurd accumulation of wealth are clearly and obviously 2 different levels of wealth.

I clearly stated in my opening post that it is
the absurd accumulation of power resulting from the absurd accumulation of wealth that is the scourge of American society. I never stated that having a lot of wealth while some don’t is the scourge of America as you stated.

I never mentioned in my words or other words haves or have nots and I stated more than once I envy no one.

The progressive tax idea, taken from the US tax table of 1960, is not meant to take away anything, it is meant to de incentivize the absurd accumulation of wealth and the resultant accumulation of power particularly destructive to the governance of the American people.

IMO Absurdly rich individuals and corporations corruptly run the American Government for themselves at the expense of the American public. That my friends, IMO is a scourge to American society.

 

[Integrity]

Not only that, but tax money is under the custodianship of the federal government.

And we all know how responsible the federal government is with our tax money!

Yes and since government is controlled by rich individuals and corporations it will be mostly their money.

I know according to my idea, it won’t be mine. I’d no doubt be in the 0% tax bracket.

I also believe, according to my idea, a large majority of UPS employees would also be, if not in the 0%, then a very low bracket.

 

[...]

Yes and since government is controlled by rich individuals and corporations it will be mostly their money.

I know according to my idea, it won’t be mine. I’d no doubt be in the 0% tax bracket.

I also believe, according to my idea, a large majority of UPS employees would also be, if not in the 0%, then a very low bracket.

How about not having brackets.

 

[BadIdeaGuy]

How about not having brackets.

But then you couldn’t treat people differently.

Why would you want a society where the same rules apply to all?!?