Kind of going off the deep end there Bman over tax proposals less progressive than our forefathers instituted and supported from the 1930's to the 1980's, don't ya think? So before you freak out (given your equation regarding progressiveness of taxes and freedom) we will still be more free than our parents and grandparents were.
I'll illustrate my point by looking back to the start of the income tax... What did it start out as?? 5% income tax? On the "wealthy"??
What has it turned into now?? How much are the "wealthy" paying in these income taxes again??
I am living on a budget....
But then again. I don't need alot of the **** people think they need.
I haven't bought new clothes in years... why do I need clothes?
I don't go out do "da cluuuub" and spend 200 bucks every weekend......that **** is for kids.
I've had the same car for 7 years, paid off, no car payments.
We finally got all of our credit card debt payed out from when we went from being a Sergeant (army) and Senior Airman(airforce) in the military to living off of my 400 bucks a week in the Academy, now THAT require budgeting.
Its not my problem the rest of my peers in poorness can't stand the thought of being on a budget.
Honestly, if you're making less than 50k per year today, you're in the 'poor' category... and I didn't mean like people living on 2 125k incomes are in a tight squeeze budget like living on 400$ / week (I've lived through that pain for YEARS).
The point I was getting at, was more that middle class people are living in a budget where they are living comfortably and can keep some extra for yourself. Really, now, at this point, if you're making 100k as a family, sure you can get by, but you are going to be making some sacrifices...
Maybe we need a better definition of what makes a person "poor" vs middle class vs upper middle class vs "rich"...
Ultimately I view it as a function of how much of your income goes into "sustenance"... Like someone making 400$/ week, especially these days you're probably spending about 75% of your income on food, housing and bills. Though it also depends on the "what foods" you are buying.
Sure you can live off KD and hotdogs, but the health will begin to suffer.
So, sorry about the confusion in my position, it's more through a lack of definition of where middle class starts.
But, that doesn't change the point I was originally making... these people calling for "wealth redistribution", they clearly don't understand that if someone like Warren Buffet is calling for these same things and saying "tax me", is clearly because he's already thought of the loopholes he could use for THAT taxing system, and will ULTIMATELY be grabbing money from those in the 60-85% and distributing THAT to the lower 40% so that EVERYONE will be broke and dependent on government.
THAT IS the major concern and why I am withdrawing my support from that movement as it stands, however, I understand that to a certain extent there are ALOT of people that have had their views co-opted and misrepresented to suit the agenda's of the very people they are positioned to fight.