How is it that people think this way?

Actually, the lower 47% pays zero federal income tax or actually gets money back (negative taxation).

That being said, I look at things the opposite of you. I don't think anyone should have to pay income tax!

First, it's just not true. The top 1% actually pays about 25% of the taxes.

But more than that, the argument compares apples to oranges. One percent of earners is a group of people. Forty percent of taxes is a dollar amount. Claiming that 1% of earners pays most of the taxes makes it seem as if those people are paying more than their fair share.

But this is not the right comparison. The right comparison would be to look at what percentage of income that 1% of earners actually takes in.

And, in fact, the top 1% of earners control about 25% of the income. So, if they're paying 25% of the taxes, how is that unfair to them?

Because they control the vast majority of the wealth. That wealth is aquired only because of the system set up in the US which allows it to. Those who profit the most, therefor, should pay a lot more - they couldnt have done any of it without the systems put in place by public funding.

if you had 100 billion dollars, and were taxed at 75%, youd still have 25 billion dollars. If you have 100,000 and are taxed at 75%, you only have 25,000 left. If you have 10,000 dollars and are taxed at 75%, you have 2,500 left.

(This is why a flat tax is a stupid idea, by the way.)

A. from what I understand, out of total holdings, the wealthy own about 40 percent of the wealth in the nation... so I can see them being taxed at that rate...

let me guess, Buffets billions he made last year didn't make it into your "wages" right? lol

B. how much of the wages did the bottom 50 percent earn?

why can't cons ever give all the numbers? they can't even give the similar numbers, it's always some unGodly mix of half the numbers for one and A COMPLETELY different half for the other group...

C. and then of course, even though you give a hellish mix of non-complementary numbers, you then finish it off with an insult... "how can we be so stupid to not see the truth of your facts (which were horribly misrepresented)" lol

Well chief... is the budget balanced??

Or is the country spending a lot more money than it is taking in?

So you think a VP at BOEING.... a company who makes BILLIONS FROM TAX MONEY ANNUALLY..... should be given a pass? Making your money FROM the government...is EXACTLY what many of the 1% you are talking about do.

And the whole... top 1% earn ONLY 19% of all wages... is horseshit.... and you know it.

The wealthiest 1% don't make their money working 9-5 genius... they make their money..... ON MONEY.

liberals exploit horrific injustices........they make one up if they have to.......they demand $$$ from the wealthy to fix the problem.......10% gets funneled to the actual problem which doesn't get fixed....90% gets caught up in feeding the bureaucracy which is made up of liberals.........repeat......

The key word is "functioning"

Are you happy with your life choices? Defending the rich against the poor? You're a real American hero, buddy.

You think you got it all figured...