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Umm Yeah, that is what govt and wall street being intertwined would imply. Elite isn't separate from govt. They cover the spectrum. LOL
LOL... That's what I've been trying to tell you all. Divorce the government's dependence on the top 1% for a grossly disproportionate percentage of the tax revenue, and you REMOVE the government's incentive to keep the top 1% as rich as possible.
Like I said, politicians certainly aren't enriching the top 1% for the votes. A person earning $1,000,000 nets 1 vote, while 50 people earning $20,000 each nets 50 votes. They're doing it for the revenue. Eliminate the incentive for the government to help the rich get richer.
For starters how many $20 million+ lotto winners each year? Gotta count them in the top 1%.
About the only way they could start to change this is to change the games in order to split these enormous lottery prizes into 5 or 10 winners - at least. More pots and more winners. Who in the heck needs 180 million dollars? I don't know a single soul who would know what to do with ten percent of that much even after taxes. Definitely geared toward the "pie in the sky" mentality of habitual gamblers. This is the one place I'm all for redistribution.
I'll consider purchasing lotto tickets when the odds of getting say, a half million are upped 25X.
Really, is lotto the problem of this country? Or is it the twisted economical and social system? Who are the most rewarded folks in our society? Speculators, entertainers, athletes...
Conservatives claim most rewarded are the "hard workers", but nothing is further from reality. Even when someone made a fortune starting from zero, the big money resulted from speculation, not hard work.
Really, is lotto the problem of this country? Or is it the twisted economical and social system? Who are the most rewarded folks in our society? Speculators, entertainers, athletes...
Conservatives claim most rewarded are the "hard workers", but nothing is further from reality. Even when someone made a fortune starting from zero, the big money resulted from speculation, not hard work.
I said you received government services and benefits. We all do. But a very small percentage of people overpay for the government services and benefits we get, and about 95% of people underpay.
Yes, you didn't answer what I asked. You made up your own bit. Typical.
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That would only be true if you never use and/or purchase a patented and/or manufactured good or service. That's highly doubtful.
I don't personally benefit from any of those things, they do.
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At a $75,000 income, that would only be possible if you were single and took no tax deductions whatsoever. Or are you counting federal taxes other than income tax?
The 17% year I made a bit more. Self-employment tax adds a good bit onto there. I assure you that if it was less than 17%, it was by very little. I don't have the forms in front of me, just the wages, tax paid, and miniscule refund from my spreadsheet. So, I guess it is possible.
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No, thanks. But you can get your head out of the sand and actually start becoming more informed.
Yep...since you seem to know everything, and this discussion is about as productive as talking to my 19-month old, I'll call it a day.
Yes, you didn't answer what I asked. You made up your own bit. Typical.
No. You specifically asked if you received government assistance. I'm assuming you don't build your own interstate highways, man air traffic control towers yourself, regulate the airwaves yourself, etc.?
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I don't personally benefit from any of those things
You're using them, no? If you're using them, you benefit.
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Self-employment tax adds a good bit onto there.
What self-employment increase is there on the federal income tax?
[quote=InformedConsent;32259611]Something you need to see...
Sorry, wrong address...
I am neither democrat nor Obama's fan and don't consider owners small businesses making $150K (or anyone else) part of the the top 1%. This thread is about people who grab 20, 30, $50M in one transaction. People who simply put millions with managers "for investment". That said, I would not want a different economic system, just a society with different values.
Your post that I originally commented on was nothing but the same old left wing crybaby nonsense that people like you have been mewling out ad nauseum for years....
More vacuous rationalization for being unable to craft a legitimate response to moral repudiation of perspectives that you prefer. Please try expressing a moral thought in your next reply, rather than just self-serving avaricious claptrap, so it too won't be vacuous.
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Originally Posted by Gtownoe
Wow. Just wow.
Why are you surprised? Blaming the victim is just another facet of the immorality of right-wing extremism.
I am neither democrat nor Obama's fan and don't consider owners small businesses making $150K (or anyone else) part of the the top 1%. This thread is about people who grab 20, 30, $50M in one transaction.
Really? Look at the THREAD TITLE. It attacks the entire top 1%. That INCLUDES hard-working professionals and small business owners.
THREAD TITLE. It attacks the entire top 1%. That INCLUDES hard-working professionals and small business owners.
It does not include the 1%, because the definition of small business owner has been redefined in the past few years, a multi-million dollar company can now be called, a small business, even though it really is not.
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The legal definition of "small business" varies by country and by industry. In the United States the Small Business Administration establishes small business size standards on an industry-by-industry basis, but generally specifies a small business as having fewer than 250 employees for manufacturing businesses and less than $7 million in annual receipts for most non manufacturing businesses.[2] The definition can vary by circumstance – for example, a small business having fewer than 25 full-time equivalent employees with average annual wages below $50,000 qualifies for a tax credit under the health care reform bill Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.[3]
But still, these "small businesses" are hardly the 1%'ers.
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The One Percent is a 2006 documentary about the growing wealth gap between America's wealthy elite compared to the overall citizenry. It was created by Jamie Johnson, an heir to the Johnson & Johnson fortune, and produced by Jamie Johnson and Nick Kurzon. The film's title refers to the top one percent of Americans in terms of wealth, who controlled 42.2 percent of total financial wealth in 2004.[1]
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