Fd Ski:
This is not about how much you make. It is, rather, about the fact that the tax code is fundamentally flawed in far too many ways to discuss here (I'm with you on the flat tax, Hang). It will remain as it is, however, because, as someone mentioned earlier, our society has far too much invested in it now to suffer a dramatic change.
My point is simply that the "rich" vs. middle class or poor conflict that the liberals have worked so hard to foster (and which further guarantees that the tax code will not radically change) is pure, unadulterated crap. Not only is it detrimental to society, but also it is grounded in misperceptions. Many people, like myself, that get hit hardest by the tax code (in ways I would not have imagined five years ago) live modest lifestyles and would not be considered "rich" by any ordinary understanding of that term.
I am sick and tired of being told by liberal politicians that I am not paying my share. What, exactly, is my share? What else do they want? How about I just send each of my paychecks directly to Washington and they can decide how much of it to send back to me? It would be sort of like an allowance.
If what you really want to argue is that teachers (or social workers or nurses or pastors or counsors or any number of other professionals) should make more money or that it is, as a practical matter, impossible to raise a family of four on a teacher's salary, I won't disagree. For all its advantages, one drawback of our market system is that one's remuneration is not necessarily tied to the societal value of his work. There are, however, other, more important rewards than money. Just ask any teacher who really loves his job.
