Ipast, I hear what you're saying.
Since 2000, America has lost "6 million" manufacturing jobs...and 55,000 manufacturing companies to outsourcing. The outsourcing income isn't "trickling down" in the same manner had those 6 million jobs existed here in this country...or the 55,000 companies were still actively engaged in production here. And unemployment AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT in this country is greatly related to the loss of these 55,000 companies. Where do 6 million displaced workers get work that would come close to maintaining a close to or equal living wage that they had in their manufacturing jobs?
I think that it would be a real state of denial for those who don't believe that the rich depend on both the middle class and, YES, even the poor, to get rich and to maintain their level of wealth. In other words, the rich can't be rich without the poor working class, middle class...and they make money off of those who are welfare recipients.
Regardless of the classes..."the government" is the main beneficiary from the tax code system we all currently live under.
In the end...there's no physical proof or fiscal proof that the overall economy welfare is deprived based on taxing those who have the types of wealth that are capable of investing their wealth to create jobs. The conservative entertainment industry has been making these claims for eons...yet, they never offer any proof of such claims. Most people of substantial wealth don't pay all that much tax based on ordinary income. They sustain much of their wealth from capital gains and tax free bonds.
And I've never seen an official IRS demographic breakdown of the 47% of people who don't pay income tax. If somebody has that list, I think we'd all love to see it.