Pope: Catholics should ask gay people for forgiveness

[Berzerker]

Actually income taxes hit the working poor and middle classes far harder than consumption taxes

if you make ~10k fed income tax is 0 or close to it

[Ben Kenobi]

I'm fine with paying taxes. The biblical example is a toll, not an income tax.

if you make ~10k fed income tax is 0 or close to it

Which is why I can take a stance against income tax without it being argued that I'm doing so for material gain.

[Berzerker]

"Actually income taxes hit the working poor and middle classes far harder than consumption taxes"

that was your stance

[Ben Kenobi]

that was your stance

I don't define under 10k as the 'working poor'. More like under 30k is working poor. I also don't have dependents

My circumstances are different. For tax purposes I choose to defer most of my income.

[Giancarlo]

Man, with all the Californian transplants here - I have a lot of fun telling them I am from Canada. They really really like me

All the repuggers that found they weren't welcomed in California anymore. We don't like bigots.

[Giancarlo]

There's a difference between the poor and the working poor. The bad thing about income taxes is that it makes it harder to get off the dole.

BULL****. Texas has a very high poverty rate that's higher than the national average. More kids go hungry in Texas than many other states.

So much for that!

[kentonio]

Your church was founded because an Englishman was unsatisfied with his older (but still beautiful) Spanish wife, and you call us 'bizarre'?

Catherine was an amazing lady.

Yes I call you bizarre, because normal humans judge people on their actual actions, not on vague historical points from 500 odd years ago. One of the few saving graces for me of Christianity is that the Christians I saw in the UK growing up were almost all very gentle, kind and humble people who lived the words of the bible to the best of their ability. They didn't judge others (that's gods job, not theirs), didn't try and cause anyone emotional torment because of perceived sins, they just lived the best lives they could and tried to help anyone they were able. When I read the bible I see those people shining out from the pages, I certainly don't see the arrogant, judgemental, money obsessed violent warmongers that appear to dominate the Christian faith in US (or at least represent it's most vocal image).

[Ben Kenobi]

Texas has a very high poverty rate that's higher than the national average. More kids go hungry in Texas than many other states.

It's quite simple, Giancarlo - with the taxes that the working poor have to pay, they have less take home than those who don't work at all.

[Ben Kenobi]

all very gentle, kind and humble people who lived the words of the bible to the best of their ability. They didn't judge others (that's gods job, not theirs), didn't try and cause anyone emotional torment because of perceived sins, they just lived the best lives they could and tried to help anyone they were able. When I read the bible I see those people shining out from the pages, I certainly don't see the arrogant, judgemental, money obsessed violent warmongers that appear to dominate the Christian faith in US (or at least represent it's most vocal image).

What brought me to the Catholic faith are the lives of the folks that I admire. I have met some who will one day be canonized. There are people like this in the Anglican faith too.

[Giancarlo]

It's quite simple, Giancarlo - with the taxes that the working poor have to pay, they have less take home than those who don't work at all.

The working poor pay far less in income taxes, you dolt. Consumption taxes really target them very harshly. Are you this stupidly ignorant in person?

You just contradicted yourself once again. Consumption taxes hit the working poor far more harshly. Consumption taxes are also inadequate for the state to cover expenses. This is why significant parts of Texas have seen credit downgrades and are literally running out of money. All those so called "California transplants" you talk about may lose their jobs.

[Ming]

What brought me to the Catholic faith are the lives of the folks that I admire. I have met some who will one day be canonized. There are people like this in the Anglican faith too.

And people like you drive people away from the Church. You should listen to the Pope and talk peace and love instead of hate.

[rah]

Actually income taxes hit the working poor and middle classes far harder than consumption taxes which actually hit the wealthy.

Did Ben actually go to college? Anyone that's ever taken econ 101 knows how wrong that is.

[Giancarlo]

Did Ben actually go to college? Anyone that's ever taken econ 101 knows how wrong that is.

It just goes to show he has no clue what he is talking about. Consumption taxes, including the slew of sales taxes Texas wants approved, hits the poor far harder than income tax. Ben has a convoluted and distorted view of the world.

[Dauphin]

Did Ben actually go to college? Anyone that's ever taken econ 101 knows how wrong that is.

He's talking about sales taxes on yachts. They hit the wealthy far harder than the working poor.

[Ming]

Yeah... unbelievable. For a guy who "claims" he learned OH SO MUCH in college and how his simple bachelors degree is SO MUCH BETTER than a masters degree... He doesn't know **** about economics. And as most of us can see from many of this other posts, he doesn't know squat about a lot of other topics as well.