Why is it we can't seem to make use of any this stuff. Even when it is just handed to us on a platter.
During the first half of Your World w/Neil Cavuto today (April 17, 2006) Cavuto promoted two upcoming segments several times. One promo was this: Coming up, "a guest who says the rich shouldn't pay taxes." Another was: "Poor people have it good." And again, "Let the rich off?"
Eventually, Cavuto returned from a break and introduced four roundtable panelists culled from Fox's Saturday morning block of four "business news" shows that Fox calls, collectively, "The Cost of Freedom." With a graphic over his shoulder that read, "Tax Break for the Rich?," Cavuto posed this question:
Wouldn't it be better for America and our economy if wealthy people paid a lot less in taxes?
Jonathan Hoenig, of "Cashin' In" spoke first:
Well, Neil, the rich already pay the vast majority of taxes in this country. The top 1% pay about 30% of all taxes. The top 30% pay almost 90% of all taxes and the bottom half of wage earners pay almost no taxes at all. So, I mean, the rich are already being soaked. The fact is, they've earned their money. They have a moral right to keep it and not have it redistributed to less productive members of society.
Tom Adkins, the founder of The Common Conservative website and the husband of Fox's Brenda Buttner, host of the Saturday morning "business news" show, Bulls & Bears, said,
Every time you've raised taxes since l960 the economy has slowed down, almost to a recession, and we've gotten almost no revenue growth.
Terry Keenan, the host of "Cashin' In" argued in favor of something like a "flat tax."
Jonas Max Ferris said,
The working man gets hosed on the tax thing. He's the one who pays all the taxes...the top 1% does control over half the wealth.
Wealth is not taxed very high in this country. Income is...a guy who lives off passive income and dividends now pays hardly anything.
(Comment: Thank goodness for Ferris' voice of reason. He was the only one who raised the issue of taxing wealth, which is far different than taxing wages.)
Hoenig again,
But, he has earned it and the rich don't become rich on the backs of the poor. The fact is that the progressive tax system...
Adkins interrupted,
They paid taxes getting there!
http://www.newshounds.us/2006/04/17/neil_cavuto_launches_a_class_war_the_rich_v_everyone_else.php#more