The Election Result Meltdown Thread

[SoonerCoug]

Probably not, but you speak to legal scams, and then refer to someone indicted for illegal activity. Which one is your friend who makes $750k - legal or illegal?

You are missing the point.

Obviously someone who earns money illegally does not deserve that money.

I am arguing that there are people who legally earn money who do not deserve as much as they earn.

There are all kinds of people who do unethical things to earn money without breaking the law. Those people don't deserve it either.

There are others whose salaries are simply inflated because of artificial factors within the market or regulatory structure. It's not their fault that they earn so much. But it's not a free market issue.

And there are some people who earn a salary because that's the going free market rate.

[CardiacCoug]

I have a friend who earns about 750K per year and pays about 200K per year taxes. He loves to whine about how awful it is that he has to pay that much in taxes. I like to remind him that 750K - 200K = 550K.

People who earn a lot of money never like to admit that they might not be any more deserving of it than people who learn 10 times less.

Good hell it's not the dollar amount of taxes people like that begrudge it's the fact that the government wastes it on entitlements, ridiculous wars, and financing the debt and there is no sign of the federal government getting its house in order.

It's the fact that the taxing and spending is unsustainable and leads to chronically high unemployment and economic stagnation. When this country ends up like Greece it's not that guy making 750K who will suffer, it's the poor and middle class people. For a guy like Romney and other even less rich people why the hell would they care how much they personally pay in taxes when they have so much? They think high taxes are bad for everyone and worst for the poor schmuck who can't find a job because the economy sucks.

[Colly Wolly]

Due to unfairness. A better system would be to let those of great intellect, compassion and highly educated, like Sooner and Obama choose who deserves it. If only we could incorporate such a system, I am sure it would work better than letting the so called free market determine who deserves it. Unfairness could be a thing of the past.

How do we agree on what is fair and what is unfair? And what business of ours is it if the two people engaging in the exchange of labor/work for wage think it is fair?

[New Mexican Disaster]

Who/what determines who deserves what income levels?

No one determines it and that is the point. Being wealthy and succesful does not mean that you "deserved" it more or less, in that to have achieved that status a person did not necessarily have worked harder or been more virtuous than another who is not as wealthy.

[byu71]

How do we agree on what is fair and what is unfair? And what business of ours is it if the two people engaging in the exchange of labor/work for wage think it is fair?

Like I said, we don't. The people who are intellectually superior, compassionately superior and better educated will decide.

[SoonerCoug]

It's the fact that the taxing and spending is unsustainable and leads to chronically high unemployment and economic stagnation. When this country ends up like Greece it's not that guy making 750K who will suffer, it's the poor and middle class people. For a guy like Romney and other even less rich people why the hell would they care how much they personally pay in taxes when they have so much? They think high taxes are bad for everyone and worst for the poor schmuck who can't find a job because the economy sucks.

Yes, I'm sure it's because they are worried about the poor.

Why would Romney take his deductions if he didn't care how much he paid in taxes?

Romney would have easily been elected if he had the guts to stand up and say: "It's ridiculous that someone with the income that I have does not pay more than 14% in taxes. When I become president, people in my salary range will pay at least 40%."

If Romney had said that, then he would have won the election.

[wuapinmon]

[Omaha 680]

Good hell it's not the dollar amount of taxes people like that begrudge it's the fact that the government wastes it on entitlements, ridiculous wars, and financing the debt and there is no sign of the federal government getting its house in order.

It's the fact that the taxing and spending is unsustainable and leads to chronically high unemployment and economic stagnation. When this country ends up like Greece it's not that guy making 750K who will suffer, it's the poor and middle class people. For a guy like Romney and other even less rich people why the hell would they care how much they personally pay in taxes when they have so much? They think high taxes are bad for everyone and worst for the poor schmuck who can't find a job because the economy sucks.

I'd like to employ you to write my future meltdowns for me.

[CardiacCoug]

Yes, I'm sure it's because they are worried about the poor.

Why would Romney take his deductions if he didn't care how much he paid in taxes?

Romney would have easily been elected if he had the guts to stand up and say: "It's ridiculous that someone with the income that I have does not pay more than 14% in taxes. When I become president, people in my salary range will pay at least 40%."

If Romney had said that, then he would have won the election.

You really are out to lunch if you think personal greed is the reason a guy like Romney didn't want to raise taxes. Everybody in the economy is connected. Raising capital gains taxes to 40% or whatever you are proposing would mean more poor and middle class people suffer economically. Sure the rich can afford to pay more but it's better for more people and especially poor and middle class people to keep taxes low and government small.

[Joe Public]

Due to unfairness. A better system would be to let those of great intellect, compassion and highly educated, like Sooner and Obama choose who deserves it. If only we could incorporate such a system, I am sure it would work better than letting the so called free market determine who deserves it. Unfairness could be a thing of the past.

That's not too far off from a Michael Sandel lecture at Harvard.

[Moliere]

According to FB he's only half black.

[byu71]

That's not too far off from a Michael Sandel lecture at Harvard.

I will google him. I won't be surprised if he is in line to be Obama's next Secretary of the Treasury.

[SoonerCoug]

You really are out to lunch if you think personal greed is the reason a guy like Romney didn't want to raise taxes. Everybody in the economy is connected. Raising capital gains taxes to 40% or whatever you are proposing would mean more poor and middle class people suffer economically. Sure the rich can afford to pay more but it's better for more people and especially poor and middle class people to keep taxes low and government small.

CardiacCoug: Modern day champion of trickle down economics.

Like I said, all Romney had to do is say that his tax rate was way too low and that he was going to increase the rate.

Romney doesn't believe his rate was too low. Romney took his deductions--just enough to make his rate 14%, even when it could have ben lower. The average American saw through this bull shit, and that is why Romney lost. The proof was in his own life. It's not that Romney was successul. It's that Romney doesn't see something wrong with him paying 14% and the middle class paying 30%.

[Joe Public]

According to FB he's only half black.

That reminds me of the guy on ABC's coverage team who commented about the diversity of the voters and crowds and the changing demographics of the U.S. and said, "Tonight might be the last time we see two white men running against each other for president."

[Colly Wolly]

Fortunately, we can look to the new Secretary of Business to provide guidance on fairness and deservedness in commerce.