$10 for water....you can get that for free.
It's the fourth branch of government, and it easily overrides the others.It's actually not that they have tons of money and are completely useless, it's that because they're rich, they have incredible political power to get the government to benefit them. That is why they pay very little taxes on their inheritance and also on the money they make on the return on their investments off their inheritance.
For example, now that Mitt Romney isn't working, he pays an effective tax rate of 14% (for comparison, i had an effective tax rate of 25% and i work my ass off). There are rumors that he paid even less, or even no taxes in some years. When Romney passes that inheritance onto his children/grandchildren, they will never have to work again in their lifetime and they will pay very little in taxes. All while you bust your ass and pay a higher tax rate.
Why the hell should they have to help aids kids in Africa? That sounds like the kind of cockamamey thing a Liberal trying to spread the wealth to people not worth helping would do. If they have AIDS they aren't going to live long anyway. Even if they didn't, why spend the money if they'd kill each other in gang violence/civil wars anyway? At least these future Job Creators in the making are stimulating the economy and helping America.
It's actually not that they have tons of money and are completely useless, it's that because they're rich, they have incredible political power to get the government to benefit them. That is why they pay very little taxes on their inheritance and also on the money they make on the return on their investments off their inheritance.
For example, now that Mitt Romney isn't working, he pays an effective tax rate of 14% (for comparison, i had an effective tax rate of 25% and i work my ass off). There are rumors that he paid even less, or even no taxes in some years. When Romney passes that inheritance onto his children/grandchildren, they will never have to work again in their lifetime and they will pay very little in taxes. All while you bust your ass and pay a higher tax rate.
You have to be a fucking moron of epic proportions to believe it's ok for a working stiff to pay higher tax rates than these scumbags. Sorry for caring about the country and being concerned about people with your level of ignorance dragging down everyone else.
rich people might pay a lower percentage, but they pay more in real dollars
Jesus Christ, do you fucking ATOT posters even fucking read? This has nothing to do with 'how much they make versus how much we make', this is how much we're getting taxed versus how much they're getting taxed. And also the disproportionate political influence they have.
You don't mind working your ass off and paying higher tax rates than a trust fund kid who makes a shitload more money than you doing nothing?
YOU ARE THE PROBLEM
The republican party is going to destroy this country.
As I make more money, I get taxed at higher percentage. Context matters.
Historically, nations & empires fall apart as the population "on the dole" (receiving substantial government assistance and not paying any taxes) rises above 50%. If you don't have any skin in the game, you will vote for whoever promises you a larger share of the redistribution of wealth, and that person will win. Once we reach this point, we will be on the verge of socialism and communism, and the economy and society will lose all drive to be productive.
That being said, the rich tend to get richer and keep their money... so, an approach that make sense to me is to moderately increase taxes on the rich, and increase estate taxes, and use that money to fund the h**l out of education. Stop giving handouts to the poor, and create opportunities for everyone to get an excellent education, and go on to get a good job to support themselves. I realize this is an ideal vision, but simply redistributing wealth from the rich to the poor by increasing taxes on the rich isn't going to fix this country.
besides you being the problem...these kids probably don't work which means their income is on the relatively low scale of things so their tax on that income is what, that's right boys and girls pretty low.
Do you know what trust funds and inheritance is? Or are you being intentionally daft?
Unless their parents follow the paths of bill gates and warren buffet, all the money will pass onto them and they will pay ludicrously low capital gains taxes and play games with offshore havens and pay next to nothing.
Holy fuck.