My understanding is that it serves "the people". That includes everyone equally, including the rich and poor, and so on. There is no distinction beetween various groups.
the benefits of this great nation have flowed disproportionately toward the rich. real incomes for most have been level while the wealthy have prospered greatly. the playing field is uneven, as can be seen by the results, and the progressive tax would be a mechanism to try to restore a level playing field
were the data to show that it was happening in the opposite direction, that our wealthy were being harmed while our lower and middle classes were prospering disproportionately, i would then insist the tax system was too progressive, damaging the opportunities of the rich
Why should you expect that? They can if they chose, as some do, or they can pay the same percentage of their income as everyone else, which still works out to a lot of money without being discriminatory.
they have benefitted disproportionately, thus they should contribute to the system which makes them prosperous disproportionately
It is not up to you, or anyone else, to decide what other peoples' "needs" are. That's up to the individual, not to a committee.
the purpose of government is to protect and defend the public's welfare. why is this any different?
They already have tax relief.
but they still pay more than most corporations for instance. the GAO has shown that most corporations pay no tax because of the advantages conferred by the tax system. yet that minimum wage worker pays taxes
yes, the low wage employees do have tax relief, as do the uber wealthy ... which is why the middle class is being squeezed at both ends. and we see the middle class dwindle as a result
Because they earned their money, it is their money, and they are entitled to keep what they earned. They should not have to pay a larger proportion of theor income than others. You want to be rich, than get an education and work hard. Don't waste your youth and then later complain about "the rich".
that's not the way it works. they chose to be here and enjoy the opportunities and bounties of this wonderful nation. they have an obligation to also support it so that it can continue to prosper ... all of it
Certainly children need to be fed but what alternatives have been looked at? Any?
i have no problem with alternatives that will accomplish the same end, feeding hungry students
unfortunately, we do not see the opposition party offering alternatives, we only see them say "no" to hungry kids
Or do you sincerely believe more government programs will eliminate poverty, such as The Great Society intended?
you should look at the data which indicates the middle class grew in number and affluence following the war on poverty/great society program ... just as it did after FDR's programs to assist the working people of our nation
not saying all programs were cost effective, because i happened to manage some of them that were not during my career in public service. but the results speak for themselves. our middle class grew and our poverty levels waned during LBJ (and Lady Byrd's) great society effort
Which children are hungry?
ask a teacher. my spouse is a retired teacher and she was easily able to identify those who were undernourished
sometimes they were unable to properly care for their kids because of circumstances beyond their control. too often, the parent(s) were sorry assholes who had no business being parents in the first place ... but they were likely thinking only of being sperm and egg donors at the time and not considering the potential for unplanned children
irresponsible as hell ... but why is that the resulting hungry child's fault?
What have their friends and neighbors done. Are there any volunteer organizations?
i operate a soup kitchen in an affluent community. we see a LOT of community support but we also have other affluent residents who resent that we are a magnet for the homeless and underprivileged. demand for our meals is about to outstrip our capacity to provide help (fire code occupancy is 70 while we actually seat 118 and feed 200+). and we serve a substantial number of kids - especially in the summer. the point being that there are volunteer organizations but the demand exceeds the supply. and there are also too many assholes who take the attitude that they care for themselves and their help should not be needed to assist the least among us
Answer these and you might get a better idea than just more government programs. The bureaucracy and the labor unions will like that, but not the long suffering tax payer.
i think i have answered your questions and my position is unchanged. and yes, i am also an active union official, retired bureaucrat, and remain a taxpayer. i do believe my perspective is a sound, realistic one
