If you don't live in the US you might not know this

[conuly]

but we have people who honestly think taxing rich people is a bad idea. I don't know, it seems like common sense to me that the guy making 5 million a year should be taxed at a higher rate than the guy making 50k a year, because they'll still have more money left over when you're done... but some people don't know how to do math or something.

You may also not know that the US is in a bit of a budget situation. Not enough money, or maybe too much spending. (I can tell you where *I* would cut the budget! But were I dictator, I wouldn't care what the people thought.)

The same people who don't want to tax the rich have found a solution to this crisis. They're gonna tax the poor!

...

Some days, it's just not worth it to get out of bed. I assure you, if calling in sick were an option....

Comments

[pne]

Oy vey.

Also, I recently found out that Germany's level of new debt next year is expected to be under the limit imposed by the EU rules (3% of GDP, IIRC), and that the total level of debt is expected to be under the limit (60% of GDP, IIRC) by 2014.

...I thought the euro stability rules meant that everybody has to follow them? How did Germany get an out if their debt has been "too high" for a while (presumably) and they didn't get hit by any of the sanctions?

*sigh*

I remember when the common currency was being discussed, there were informational leaflets saying, don't worry, we have strict stability criteria, and countries that don't measure up get hit by sanctions, so everybody will be fine. And I thought, great, good that they thought of that.

And then they actually introduced the euro. And... apparently people are *not* abiding by those criteria. And it's not even just the "bad" economies, it's Germany.

I'm really disappointed.

(And I guess I was too naïve if I actually believed them back then?)

[conuly]

Wait - is the debt too high or is it under the limit?

[pne]

I found this: http://www.tagesschau.de/wirtschaft/wirtschaftsdaten104.html (Germany is "Deutschland"; "BIP (Bruttoinlandsprodukt)" = "GDP (Gross Domestic Product)").

The first table is "budget deficit/surplus"; the numbers were what I had heard on the news in connection with "amount of new debt". Germany was over the 3.0% limit for 2010 but not for the years before.

The second table is "total debt" - here, Germany has been over the 60% limit for the past several years, and the numbers even rose from 2008 till 2010.

So the total debt has been too high for several years, the new debt (budget deficit) was too high only for 2010.

[janewilliams20.livejournal.com]

That's just one of many things that I've heard about the US and find very hard to believe. Belief that giving sick people health care, unemployed people a way of getting a job, and hungry people food, are in some way evil, all come under the same heading.

Some people can be that stupid/selfish, yes, and in a big enough population, they will exist, down at the bottom of the distribution curve, but that there's enough of them to be noticed, never mind have a significant impact, is mind-boggling.

[conuly]

http://thinkprogress.org/yglesias/2011/08/24/303655/the-depravity-of-the-poor/#comment_link

Enjoy! (Sorta.)

[the-real-girlie.livejournal.com]

^ THIS. Taxing the rich 30% isn't the same as taxing the poor 30%. You slap a 30% tax on someone who makes a mil, and the government gets 300K and that man will still have 700K to live on. Taxing someone who makes 30K a year at that same rate, and the government gets only 10K and that man is down to 20K, which is barely enough for housing, utilities, food, and healthcare.

It's the illogical belief that poor people are poor because they deserve it and they just want a handout that's screwing us over. USA is lucky that there are enough people like me - people who make just enough money to stay happy enough to not take it to the streets.

Shits gonna hit the fan here sooner or later.

[the-real-girlie.livejournal.com]

Switch to a solid gold mini?

[kyrielle]

I would dearly, DEARLY love to see the rich taxed more. And if I were then paying 300k in taxes under that system? I'd be ecstatic. Of course, that's because I'm not making anywhere near enough money to be taxed at that rate now, but. :)

Also, "if we tax them more as their income goes up, it won't be worth it to them to do more things and make more money." Er, well, as long as we don't tax them so high they have less left over after taxes when making more money...yes, they probably will do more things to make more money and pay more taxes. They may not like the last part of the equation, but the middle part will still drive them somewhat. :P