a link with interesting conversation on the end.

http://afferentinput.blogspot.com/2007/12/if-america-had-100-and-100-people.html

here's some cool snippets:

cool comment # 1

There is a definite self-righteousness about some of these comments : "I've saved for years, I'm a good steward of my money, how dare you tax me". But this isn't about tax, it's about salaries. The top 1% has far more money today because they've granted themselves huge pay increases, stock options, shares, golden handshakes, golden helloes, etc. The income of the average "big boss" in America is roughly 500 times that of his lowly "worker bee". Is this FAIR? Just? Right? Of course most will react by repeating the mantra "if the market dictates that that's the boss's valeu, then it is just and fair and right". Rubbish! The market hasn't dictated anything ; corporate directors are in a monopoly situation where they can vote themselves whatever they can get away with in terms of benefits, stock-options etc, whilst freezing or reducing the wages of the lowest-paid. They do this because humans are intrinsically selfish bastards ; and governements have a duty to curb such selfishness and injustice in society. They can introduce legislation to cap the amount of shares one person can hold, limiting golden handshakes etc. But they don't, because it's the people who have the money who have the power to buy off the politicians. I don't see how anyone can justify such a system ; sure it's survival of the fittest, but there is no notion of justice or fairness in it.


cool comment # 2

I've worked myself up and I believe I'm in the top 5% and I think progressive tax is the only fair way to go. Here's why. I could not have done what I did in most other countries.

If you think of tax and the price to be an American, and enjoy the piece, protection, infrastructure, court system etc. then it becomes obvious that people at the top are able to take advantage of this much more than people at the bottom.

And the increase is not arithmetic as a flat tax would indicate. If I'm twice as rich as the average bear, I probably have a lot more that twice as many business dealings (that succeed because we have a solid justice system and until recently a solid banking system) and get more than twice as many deliveries that depend on the roads, and a secure source of oil protected by the military etc.

Not to mention that I had a public education that was probably better than most.

So I'm all for fairness but self-made people need to be fair and admit how much of a boost they get from things that are paid for by taxes