[The Truth]

[quote=CA renter]
That’s right, you DIDN’T build that (and I was saying this long before Warren/Obama started saying it). Without all of the social, legal, physical, and military, etc. infrastructure provided by the government, it would be far, far more difficult to make money.[/quote]

BUT the government only gets the money to build that infrastructure thanks to the work of private citizens and companies. We DID do that. Without funding provided by the privately employed, the government has nothing. I am not saying that there should be no government, but that the ‘government’ doesn’t do this out of some grand benevolence with money it earns, but rather money it seized from private individuals and companies.

[quote=CA renter]As for the net, per capita benefit of govt services going to the rich vs the poor, I just stated above why that’s the case. Joe Sixpack, the lowly worker/welfare recipient, is not reaping nearly the same monetary benefit as someone who makes huge sums as a result of our military operations, infrastructure, intellectual property protection, well-regarded financial markets (because of our regulations, not in spite of them), etc.

You’re also wrong about your taxes necessarily going to someone who pays a lower tax rate. You can have someone who pays a rather high tax rate (say 40%) and another who pays a much lower tax rate (say 10%), but the second person might be getting far fewer benefits, per dollar paid, than the one who pays the higher rate. You can pay a 10% rate (or whatever random lower rate), but use very few govt-provided goods and services. The person paying a 40% rate might be a much heavier burden on the govt. [/quote]

Again, you are just making it up – saying what you feel or want it to be. ‘Might be this, could be that…’ You don’t get it: if someone is having a higher portion of their wages confiscated by taxes (and a higher overall dollar amount), they on average are shouldering a higher burden of the government. The fact is, there are over 66 million on some type of welfare program and another 21 million employed by the government. This is supported by 109 privately employed people. This is not sustainable. It’s a picture of our Social Security system on a grand scale.

The PA Dept of Welfare released a study that a single mother of two is generally better off taking a job paying $29K/year than one paying $69K/year thanks to to entitlements that more than make up for the $40K gap. We have something seriously wrong in this country and the entitlement society.

You also seem to be fond of bashing people/entities like Steve Jobs or Walmart. Do you have any idea how much worth has been created for people across the economic spectrum by Jobs or Walmart? But no, you wouldn’t think about that.

[The Truth]

[quote=ctr70]Another thing for those high income earners who have portable businesses looking to move out of the state of CA to avoid the state income tax, is the cumulative effect of paying a state income tax. If you pay $30k a year in state income taxes, that is $300k over 10 yrs. And you invested that $30k saved every year on a down payment on a cash flow rental or a trust deed, you would have more like $500k+ over 10 yrs. So you are losing $500k over 10 yrs for staying in CA![/quote]

If you make say $250K as a couple – the place where new state tax increases begin to kick in – you’ll probably be paying somewhere north of $20K to the state. With a modest down payment, that annual amount would cover the mortgage on a palace in the Las Vegas area. If you are ‘portable’, the move effectively pays for your housing. But it’s Las Vegas and not Southern California…

[The Truth]

The sad thing in CA, and what makes us seriously ponder whether it’s worth staying here, is how much it’s rubbed in your face every day. The state takes more and more of our money. But yet, the roads are horrible, crime is getting worse, and gang activity is ignored while teachers get obscene pay for working part of the year even though public schools suck, lifeguards can make $150K+, admin workers at Long Beach hold out because nearly $200K is not enough, prison guards can make nearly $200K. Public sector workers get paid more while raking in benefits (including retirement) the private sector could only dream of. And I’m still told I’m not paying my fair share. And the funds from Prop 30 won’t make the schools better – just prop up more juicy retirement pay for teachers and administrators (of which there are far too many). Public union agitators take my tax money to picket, protest, and lobby against my interests. I am literally paying them to screw me.

[The Truth]

My fear is the government ‘borrowing’ from my IRA/401k…

[The Truth]

[quote=CA renter]
If you think that YOU are responsible for all of your success, try to duplicate it from scratch in a country with no taxes; let’s see how you do.[/quote]

Oh I get it… ‘I didn’t build that…’

What’s next, ‘From each according to his abilities…’?

And I am not advocating no taxes or a Somalia-like state. Using that as an example is hyperbolic, childish, and ignorant.

And I would do just fine in a county or era of lower/less confiscatory tax policy.

BTW, the ‘government’ doesn’t provide infrastructure; the ‘government’ didn’t build that. I did with my tax dollars, along with every other net producer and those that came before me; and no thanks to the net consumers.

[quote=CA renter]Additionally, people who make the most tend to receive a greater benefit, per capita, from the government.[/quote]

Bullshit. What’s your basis for that? It’s easy to just make garbage like that up.

[quote=CA renter] BTW, YOUR wages aren’t going to ME. I simply know that there is a cost — both to you and me — for living in a civilized, democratic society, and I’m more than willing to pay for it.[/quote]

If I’m paying a higher percentage of taxes, then my wages ARE going to YOU on a relative basis.

And you still didn’t answer my question? How much/what percentage of my wages do you consider your fair share?

[The Truth]

[quote=moneymaker]I
Won’t buy anymore Vizio TV’s anywhere

Anybody have any other won’t buy’s there?[/quote]

Why no Vizio TVs?

[The Truth]

[quote]ctr,

Why don’t you move to Somalia, Mexico, or any of those no-tax/low-tax countries? Based on your logic, the effective absence of taxes means that unemployment rates in these countries should be some of the lowest on earth, right?

FWIW, if you really don’t understand why we have progressive tax rates, you need to stop calling other people ignorant.[/quote]

CA Renter, you’re really stuck on this Somalia thing I see.
Three questions for you: Why do YOU think we have progressive taxes? How progressive/how much is enough? How much of MY hard earned wages is YOUR fair share?

[Author]

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