Only 2 things are certain: death and taxes...

[LogGrad98]

Doesnt all this talk make a consumption tax even more appealing?

More appealing? Yes. The answer? No.

I do like the idea of some kind of flat tax though.

 

[franklin]

I really just get tired of hearing constantly that the rich "pay nothing" while the low-income families are nearly bankrupted by their high taxes. Democrats especially use broad sweeping generalizations that, if you took them at face value, would mean that no one with a salary in the 6 figure range and above has ever paid taxes in their life, and everyone making under 50k pays their entire salary in taxes to support the extravagant lifestyles of the aforementioned "rich". (yes, hyperbolic I know, but that is often how it sounds coming from the politicians too). When really if you break it down those who make the most money pay the most taxes measured in dollar paid.

After the housing crash, you'd think we would learn our lesson of what happens when policy is born from sweeping generalizations based in envy. Everyone deserved the American dream of home ownership, so we enacted laws that lead to housing prices skyrocketing and subsequently crashing when people could no longer afford to live. But here we are, as always, bitching and moaning about how to make things more fair and give everyone what they deserve.

I too would like to see policy that equalizes incomes, but it has nothing to do with envy. It's more about economic freedom and welcoming people into the upper middle class. As it stands there is little incentive to work too far up the chain.

There are labor issues on top of the tax problems you two are examples of. I could become much more productive but my industry has this nasty way of tying people into a job for a few years and then working them 70 hours a week on 40 hour week wages. Between the hours and taxes the trade off isn't worth it. "Exempt" is a dirty word from my birds eye view.

The incentives aren't there because our government has failed to protect them. Hard line conservatives effectively stop any labor gains regardless of the underlying situation. After all, nobody forced you to sign the contract. I guess conservative principles don't account for indentured servitude, usury, or any other practical slavery. Hard line dems are polar opposites, so we end up with a fight rather than a solution. We "unprincipled moderates" get hurt over the ideals of 50,000,000 American extremists. Fun, fun.

 

[LogGrad98]

After the housing crash, you'd think we would learn our lesson of what happens when policy is born from sweeping generalizations based in envy. Everyone deserved the American dream of home ownership, so we enacted laws that lead to housing prices skyrocketing and subsequently crashing when people could no longer afford to live. But here we are, as always, bitching and moaning about how to make things more fair and give everyone what they deserve.

I too would like to see policy that equalizes incomes, but it has nothing to do with envy. It's more about economic freedom and welcoming people into the upper middle class. As it stands there is little incentive to work too far up the chain.

There are labor issues on top of the tax problems you two are examples of. I could become much more productive but my industry has this nasty way of tying people into a job for a few years and then working them 70 hours a week on 40 hour week wages. Between the hours and taxes the trade off isn't worth it. "Exempt" is a dirty word from my birds eye view.

The incentives aren't there because our government has failed to protect them. Hard line conservatives effectively stop any labor gains regardless of the underlying situation. After all, nobody forced you to sign the contract. I guess conservative principles don't account for indentured servitude, usury, or any other practical slavery. Hard line dems are polar opposites, so we end up with a fight rather than a solution. We "unprincipled moderates" get hurt over the ideals of 50,000,000 American extremists. Fun, fun.

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to franklin again.

I especially agree with the comments on labor issues. You can also lump me in with those who find "exempt" to be a dirty word. Move your way up in a logistics org and you get the benefit of working more hours (pretty much true in any group of exempts from what I have seen). I just finished a string of 18 16-hour days over 3 weeks to integrate a new acquisition into our warehousing and distribution strategy. Now I have been able to "cut back" to about my normal 60 hours per week. I recgonize I am compensated well and I understand and accept what being exempt means to my organization and my job. I took the job after all. Doesn't mean I have to like it.

And you nailed it in the final paragraph why we can't make any progress, and what has been my issue with the two-party system for years. It does not breed collaboration for the best solutions, it breeds competition to get "MY" ideas implements, regardless of if they are good or not. This is just another area of policy that proves it.

 

[PearlWatson]

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to franklin again.

I especially agree with the comments on labor issues. You can also lump me in with those who find "exempt" to be a dirty word. Move your way up in a logistics org and you get the benefit of working more hours (pretty much true in any group of exempts from what I have seen). I just finished a string of 18 16-hour days over 3 weeks to integrate a new acquisition into our warehousing and distribution strategy. Now I have been able to "cut back" to about my normal 60 hours per week. I recgonize I am compensated well and I understand and accept what being exempt means to my organization and my job. I took the job after all. Doesn't mean I have to like it.

And you nailed it in the final paragraph why we can't make any progress, and what has been my issue with the two-party system for years. It does not breed collaboration for the best solutions, it breeds competition to get "MY" ideas implements, regardless of if they are good or not. This is just another area of policy that proves it.

While you like the bottom part, I like the top part a whole lot.