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Originally posted by conspiracy nut
reply to post by Hopechest
i guess we can agree to disagree. like i said in my op, i am not lazy, i am not a communist, i work, i provide for my family, i am currently in the proccess of improving my life and my wages so i can make more to have abetter quality of life for my family. yet the scary part is as i continue to make more money the prices of everyday staples such as gas, and food continue to skyrocket. if you are content eating ramen noodles (i.e cake) then by all means continue to do so. i will not sit hear and be told to suck it up and eat cake. i will continue to voice my opinion and i certainly hope more americans will too.
reply to post by TheWrightWing
Who are you to determine how much anyone can earn? Why not earn some yourself?
In reality, the phrase predates the reign of Marie Antoinette. Jean-Jaques Rousseau, a philosopher who paved the way for democracy and socialism, wrote of a "princess" who said, "Qu'ils mangent de la brioche," when she heard that the peasants had no bread. While brioche is not quite as extravagant as cake, the phrase basically has the same meaning. The story told by Rousseau served to illustrate the vast gap between the rich and the poor of his time, but it was written when Marie Antoinette was only a child and not yet Queen of France.
No one knows the real origin of the phrase "let them eat cake," but it may have been a rally against the exploitation of the poor, rather than a flippant comment revealing the speaker's ignorance. In 18th century France, bakers were required by law to sell brioche and other fancy breads at the same price as regular bread if the latter was out of stock. Therefore, the original statement may have meant "do not let the poor starve if plain bread is not available."
Originally posted by poet1b
It is a well established fact that when the super rich pay higher taxes, the country and the econnomy do better.
Originally posted by schuyler
The wealthy are already taxed. The following figures are directly from the IRS for 2010.
100%: 139,960,580 returns paid taxes of $1,031,512mil for 100% AGI for 100% of taxes
Top 1%: 1,399,606 returns paid $392,149mil for 20.70% AGI for 38.02% of taxes
Top 5%: 6,998,029 returns paid $213,569mil for 34.73% AGI for 58.72% share
Top 10%: 13,996,068 returns paid $721,421mil for 45.77% AGI for 69.94% of taxes
Top 25%: 34,990,145 returns paid $890,614mil for 67.38% AGI for 86.34% of taxes
Top 50%: 69,980,290 returns paid $1,003,639mil for 87.25% AGI for 97.30% of taxes
Bottom 50%: 69,980,290 returns paid $27,783 mil for 12.75% AGI for 2.59% of taxes.
AGI = Adjusted Gross Income. So to put this in story problem form:
The top 1% earned 20.70% of the income, but paid 38.02% of all income taxes.
The top 5% earned 34.73% of the income, but paid 58.72% of all income taxes.
The top 10% earned 45.77% of the income, but paid 69.94% of all income taxes.
The top 25% earned 67.38% of the income, but paid 86.34% of all income taxes.
The top 50% earned 87.25% of the income, but paid 97.30% of all income taxes.
The bottom 50% earned 12.75% of the income, but paid 2.59% of all income taxes
Now let’s put that in perspective.
The top 1% means your adjusted gross income is at or above $380,354.
The top 5% means your adjusted gross income is at or above $159,619.
The top 10% means your adjusted gross income is at or above $113,799.
The top 25% means your adjusted gross income is at or above $67,280.
The top 50% means your adjusted gross income is at or above $33,048.
The bottom 50% means your adjusted gross income is below $33,048.
Now let's compare:
Top 1%: paid $392,149 million in taxes
Bottom 47%: $0.00 in taxes
Please don't pretend that the top 1% are not taxed or not taxed enough. They pay way more than anyone else already. They just provide a convenient whipping boy for envious "progressives," most of which are getting a free ride already.