[…] He’s paid PLENTY of taxes over the last 80+ years of his life. I don’t begrudge him a thing. […]
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I don’t begrudge him a thing either. But your analysis is also one sided: He has also benefited from plenty of government services over the years (that’s what taxes are for, right?).
So has he taken more than he has given? Hard to say for any particular individual, and the question is irrelevant at that level anyway. But we do know one thing: Americans as a whole have consumed more tax dollars than they have paid over the span of your neighbor’s lifetime. That’s why we have this massive debt at all levels of government.
The Prop 13 debate has been beaten to death, and there are plenty of anecdotal arguments for either side. However, I don’t see how someone should get a tax break just because they have lived a long life and thus have paid much over the years.
Fiscal policy, including tax policy, has be sustainable over the long run. Our current situation shows that something has to change.
