Who here thinks taxes are necessary and can be fair?

[cheshire]

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

1. They absolutely are necessary and fair.

We'll see how far society gets without taxes.

[trumad]

4. Taxes are necessary but they certainly are not fair.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

7. Maybe not currently.

I just mean in general it's fair and necessary to levy taxes.

[cheshire]

9. On a list of Carvilles he has us 2nd from bottom in about 15 countries

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

11. see post 7

[Commendatori]

2. I do, and they're not fair now, but I also think

that they're too high for pretty much everyone that pays taxes, even the rich.

[RobertSeattle]

3. I don't get it - is this softball practice?

[Beaverhausen]

5. I do

If we want safe roads, clean water, a police force, a military, a public education system, a safe medical establishment, etc. we have to pay taxes.

edited cause my public school education didn't teach me to spell!

[Trajan]

6. Taxation is the price we pay for civilised government ....

Before taxation was tribute .... Tribute is far worse ....

[Bridget Burke]

8. Yes and yes.

Next question?

[cheshire]

10. What the hell is wrong with repubs? How's that for a ?

[BillZBubb]

12. Although it's difficult for wingers to understand,

taxes pay for liberty and rights. Of course they are necessary. They could be made fair, but the howl from the wealthy would be deafening!

Prior to WWII, all Federal income tax came from the top 10% of wage earners. That was fair.

[topanga]

14. Exactly.

Why should I, who make a paltry 40,000 a year have to pay taxes? It isn't fair, and I can't afford to live my life. But the rich whine and cry about the pittance they pay.

It makes me sick.

[topanga]

13. Just look at the civilized nations...

Look at Sweden or Norway or France, you don't see these people complaining about their taxes, they live in a paradise free form hate and fear.

We need lots of things in this country, and taxes will buy them, but the one thing tax money can not buy, that we need mostly is to realize our childishness.

We need to learn from our betters.

[renotyme]

15. dont talk about raising taxes, just do it after we win

if you talk about it, we will lose.

[cheshire]

16. That's what I think is wrong, I want to stand up to liars and call them on

it.

[renotyme]

18. as for me, i play to win

[Beaverhausen]

17. If we can provide healthcare for all americans is it OK to raise taxes?

most people would agree to pay higher taxes to get health care.

next?

[Octafish]

19. "Taxes are what we pay for a civilized society."

Oliver Wendell Holmes, 1841-1935, said that. Pretty well sums it up.

[oscar111]

20. total possible tax revenue right now?

How much could be raised?

[Octafish]

22. Well...If we brought back the corporate tax rate of 50-percent...

...It'd be nice. As far as how much could be taxed, if we include property -- such as real estate, cash, stocks and bonds, patents and anything that can be counted as a credit -- I estimate $5 trillion per year. Easy. And it would be graduated, Big Time.

Now, what's the truth, DU Friend oscar111? How much can be raised?

[GreenPartyVoter]

21. Yes and yes again, but they aren't fair yet

[oscar111]

23. octafish: $ 96 Trillion is out there

http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/z1/current/accessible/l5.htm

the link gives WEALTH, not the GDP yearly income. GDP is a separate $ 10 T. This essay does not even touch the GDP with taxes.

===Tekkie note, skip if boring===
l5 at the end of the url.. not visible, but there,... is the letter "L" then 5, not two numbers.
====end of Tekkie note=======

Fed reserve gives total wealth, of 103 T. {see bottom line}. 79 T is liabilities, but banks can "forgive' debts at times.

--7 T appears needed to keep the middle class going,... owning a house and having a cushion of cash in the bank. Leaving 96 T for uncle sam. Or, liabilities left alone, just 17 T. But 17 is still a lot. {This is wealth, now, not GDP income. GDP is 10 T/yr. This essay does not even touch that with taxes.}

=={current yearly tax pool is 2.4 Trillon, about. Adding 17 would expand it about 7-fold. ====Entire mizerable private healthcare "system" now costs 1 T..plus a half T. ... 17 would cover that===} Leave some of it for the rich, if that is part of how you see an economy working best. I am just giving you the official numbers as the outer framework for you to work on, as you see fit.

Polite corrections to any logic errors are invited. I dont read flamers, tho.

[eridani]

24. Let's cut this 'tax relief' meme crap right now

Taxes are money that we spend collectively. It is just as much 'my' money when spent on roads, schools and fire protection as when I spend it as an individual on food or clothing.

What's wrong with taxes is insufficient public oversight--that's the source of the unfairness.

[drhilarius]

26. Instead of tax relief...

it would be better to start referring to "Tax investments" (infrastructure, research, alternate energy, etc.).

[auburngrad82]

25. There would be no government without taxes

No social security, no medicare, no military