We’re in total agreement about both parties not really helping the middle class, and I also agree that many government policies redistribute wealth. This is where things grey, as one could make the argument that the redistribution of wealth is unjust, unethical, etc. because the wealthier person worked harder and earned his/her wealth (which isn’t necessarily true at all). [/quote]
I’m way late to this thread, so my apologies for brining up day old topics, but this one struck a nerve.
All government activities, if paid for by general revenue dollars, redistribute wealth. Every single one of them. Unless the benefits of an expenditure are evenly distributed, wealth has been redistributed. That’s true even if taxes are truly flat ($x per person). In a system more commonly referred to as a flat tax (X% of income per person), there is always redistribution, irrespective of how benefits are distributed. Same with a progressive system (which our current system is, partly only in theory).
So when “redistribution of wealth” is discussed, it is always wrong to point at a single change and call it redistribution. It can only change the degree of redistribution. There is no system of income tax that is not redistribution of wealth.
