Are the rich paying their 'fair' share?

[Al B. Sure!]

So we agree that there are non-monetary, non-taxable privileges of having money, right? Jon's talking about social advantages with regards to networking but I showed the low crime exposure provided by having enough wealth to afford a house in a wealthy area, even though the property taxes paid in absolute dollars are not sufficient to explain the disparity in crime rates.

[Jon Miller]

Al, you don't have to convince us that Philly is a terrible place to live. We didn't choose to live there. And the government is never going to tax the intangible benefits of being middle class instead of broke, even if you consider that unfair.

Yes, the wealth benefits of being middle class compared to poor are as important quality of life wise as the wealth benefits of being rich compared to middle class. (maybe more important, if there weren't so many poor people I wouldn't have a problem with rich people not wanting to be taxed)

The fact that Albies example was middle class versus poor instead of middle class versus wealthy doesn't mean that his example does not demonstrate how wealth is not taxed.

JM

[Al B. Sure!]

He didn't say that the solution was absolute inequality.

Or absolute lack of liberty, for that matter...

[Hauldren Collider]

He didn't say that the solution was absolute inequality.

[BlackCat]

Equality is the enemy of liberty

Oh, so you are a supporter of monarchy, even feudalism ?

[Jon Miller]

A consumption tax + transfers might be the best way to implement a tax, but it doesn't change the fact that the benefits of wealth are not being taxed by a consumption tax (such as networking).

JM

[Hauldren Collider]

We were pretty slow in taking the "all men are created equal" business seriously.

It should be noted that having a nobility/aristocracy is very different from having an upper class.

[giblets]

Median household income 20151: $103,899

National median household income is less than half that.

Privilege of being middle-class then if that is middle-class

Yes, $100,000 is upper middle class. Very achievable for families with bachelor degrees if they don't waste their lives trying to get accepted into the armed forces.

[Al B. Sure!]

A short story about equality by Kurt Vonnegut.

Yeah I figured that out when I looked it up. We read it in high school. I remember the story, but not the name.

It was historian Will Durant who said that, though. I'm paraphrasing a bit.

"Nature smiles at the union of freedom and equality in our utopias.
For freedom and equality are sworn and everlasting enemies, and
when one prevails the other dies. Leave men free, and their natural
inequalities will multiply almost geometrically, as in England and
America in the nineteenth century under laissez-faire.
To check the growth of inequality, liberty must be sacrificed,
as in Russia after 1917. Even when repressed, inequality grows; only
the man who is below the average in economic ability desires equality;
those who are conscious of superior ability desire freedom,
and in the end superior ability has its way."

[giblets]

Wonder if someone would care to explain Al why there once was a revolution ?

Though, it's quite curious that you yanks had that revolution that should make everyone equal and then accept that there are an "aristocracy" that can control society as they want.

We were pretty slow in taking the "all men are created equal" business seriously.

[Hauldren Collider]

Will Durant. Who the **** is Harrison Bergeron?

A short story about equality by Kurt Vonnegut.

[Al B. Sure!]

Harrison Bergeron

Will Durant.

[Hauldren Collider]

Harrison Bergeron

Also that equality revolution was the French Revolution, not the American Revolution. Observe the difference in results..

[Al B. Sure!]

Wonder if someone would care to explain Al why there once was a revolution ?

Though, it's quite curious that you yanks had that revolution that should make everyone equal and then accept that there are an "aristocracy" that can control society as they want.

Equality is the enemy of liberty

[Hauldren Collider]

Hey, it's not over $250k/year, so Obama says it's middle class