Millionaires to Obama: Tax us

[redirish28]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_theticket/20101119/ts_yblog_theticket/millionaires-to-obama-tax-us


Anti-tax activists everywhere have been loudly arguing for an extension of George W. Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans in the United States. Now a group of millionaires is arguing the opposite.

More than 40 of the nation's millionaires have joined Patriotic Millionaires for Fiscal Strength to ask President Obama to discontinue the tax breaks established for them during the Bush administration, as Salon reports.

"For the fiscal health of our nation and the well-being of our fellow citizens, we ask that you allow tax cuts on incomes over $1,000,000 to expire at the end of this year as scheduled," their website states. "We make this request as loyal citizens who now or in the past earned an income of $1,000,000 per year or more."

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Maybe there is hope of humanity yet in this crazy society.

[kick-ass-bob]

1. It's times like this that I wish I made that much.

I'd gladly pay more taxes.

Seriously.

(Of course, there are a multitude of other reasons I'd want to make that much :P )

[Yeahyeah]

2. He's not going to tax his base.

[MineralMan]

3. They're talking to the wrong person. They need to tell Congress.

The President doesn't initiate tax legislation.

[JimWis]

4. Right on. That's what I was going to say - tell Congress, not the

President. And tell the Republicans.

[kctim]

5. Nothing preventing them from paying more NOW

[Schema Thing]

7. oh please.

[kelly1mm]

6. I always hate these kind of threads for two reasons. First, the US

Treasury takes donations, really they do. If they want to pay more they can do so now. Second, what extra clout do they have which means I should value their opinion more than anyone else? I don't really care what Oprah, Tom Seleck, Brad Pitt, or Bill Gates has to say about politics.

What they really are saying, since they are not making voluntary donations now to the treasury, is that they would be willing to pay more taxes if the government makes all economically similar situated people pay more taxes.

[Schema Thing]

8. They are a more important voice for obvious reasons.

The argument against raising taxes, wrong as it may be, is that rich people drive the economy and will slow down or pull over to the side of the road if taxes are raised.


The other argument is that "hey, look how much we pay now, why should we pay more, it's not fair"... this, btw is more likely to come from a poor or middle-class person, in defense of not raising money on rich people, than it is to actually come from a rich person. It comes from people who just don't *get* the reason for progressive taxation.

To have people who will pay at least eighty thousand dollars more in taxes per year say "those two arguments are wrong, and unhealthy for America", is powerful, and might go a tiny way towards countering the LOUD, ever-present voices of millionaires and billionaires paying middle-class idiots to shout the opposite.

[WillyT]

9. K & R !!!

:kick: