mietla,
Its just as serious and accurate as the opening post of this thread. Both are utter simplifications that ignore nearly everything in order to make a partisan point.
Many conservatives I have talked with act as though it is useless to make higher wages in this country, as though making $537,000.00 is pretty much the same as the $53,700.00 that I make.
The facts are that I pay nearly the same percentage of my income in state and federal taxes, and I do so gladly to support this country which has given me such great opportunity. There is a huge difference between an income of $500,000.00 and an income of $50,000.00, even after federal taxes. I made about $43,000.00 last year, after state and federal taxes it was about $31,000.00. Even if we assume that the tax rate on somebody making 10 times what I did is 50%, we still arrive at a total of $215,000.00. Believe me you, there is a huge difference between $31,000.00 and $215,000.00. The taxes in no way make being in a higher tax bracket undesirable.
We owe it to those less fortunate than ourselves to help. This is preached over and over my virtually every religion. However history has repeatedly shown that charity does not meet the needs of those who are unable to help themselves. Government has proven to be far better, though still far, far from perfect, at taking care of those in need.
In those modern world that the United States of America is families can no longer subsistence farm, or work as hunter/gatherers. It is no longer possible to live off of the land in a significant percentage of our numbers.
We could dump the needy and lazy all out on the streets, but would we want to live it that world? Stepping over beggars, living in gate communities to try to guard against the crime that the desperate "have-nots" would wage against we, the "haves"? I'm sure that in time, if the nation survived, things would get better, maybe even by the time we are old men and soon to die.
If we kill welfare and even the tax rate we will be making it doubly hard for those unfortunates and lazy to make it on their own, furthermore many of the jobs in their communities, be it a run down town in Appalachia or an inner city, rely on welfare recipients to stay in business. Once those businesses fail, their employees and owners are then also thrust out onto the streets, and they are no longer purchasing goods to sell. Thus it works its way up the chain.
Trickle down economics may not work, but I assure you, trickle up economics most certainly do. You can glitz up the top floor of a sky scraper while having little effect on the floors below it, but if you remove the bottom floors, all the floors above them will come crashing down.
It is simply a matter of numbers. To do as the conservatives suggest is to abandon millions of people in order to enlarge the money reserves of the already pampered thousands.
There can certainly be improvements to our system, but removing it is not one of them.
------------------
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother
Bring the Mosquito FB.MkVI Series 2 to Aces High!!!
Sisu
-Karnak
