[Stingy Jack]

Okay, in response to yourlastmistake, I believe I posted way back somewhere that there are some issues that I tend to sway Republican on (I'm not a die-hard Democrat), and one of those issues is welfare reform -- and most other economic issues. But, I get mired down in my feelings particularly when it comes to the area of taxes.

There are two types of taxes in this nation: progressive and regressive.

Progressive tax: The tax percentage is figured according to your income (the rich pay more on a progressive tax, the poor pay less).

Regressive tax: The tax is a fixed percentage regardless of your income (sales tax).

On the one hand, I would say that progressive taxes are unfair. Why should you be forced to pay more simply because you have more money?

Then, I would say that regressive taxes are unfair. It is hard for some people in this nation to buy food, but we tax them on food just as much as we tax people who have no problems buying food.

I understand that the rich may or not "deserve" their money. That is not for us to say, as long as they got it honestly. The fact is, though, that we can't ALL be rich. In fact, the distribution of wealth in this nation is like a pyramid, with the highest percentage of the population at the bottom and the smallest at the top. Unfortunately, the wealth is distributed exactly the opposite, with the greatest amount of money being at the top and the least amount at the bottom. And the only way that the folks at the bottom can get any of the wealth at the top is through the "trickle-down" method of taxes. The rich pay a lot in taxes, and the poorest of the poor get massive returns.

I can't help but wonder why the rich complain so much when they are taxed more and the poor are taxed less. It's as if they don't want the wealth going ANYWHERE, especially to the poor, working people who keep this nation operating. But, then again, I can't say: "You should pay more taxes! Help out the nation, help our poor, working-class people!" What they should do with their money is not for us to say. It is their money, after all.

But, the rich will say: "Look, my family worked hard to amass this wealth, and I worked hard to build on it. If you want WEALTH in this country, you have to work for it!" I argue with this as well. Nobody works harder in this nation than the working class. And it certainly isn't that difficult to build on your wealth once you have it. Just invest it and let it accrue intrest.

So, I would like to hear some thoughts on taxes in the nation. This would help me really decide where I need to go with this. Should I resort to utilitarianism with this issue as well? Taxing the rich more so that more can go to the poor seems like the lesser of the two evils (the other being to give the rich tax breaks, and keep our regressive taxes fully as they are. Personally, I would like to see the nation take regressive taxes off of necessities like food. Tax the nation for their food? That's almost evil.)