I don't think there is a good argument for why you should get more of my money

[Anonymous]

This year more than ever, there is no political party for me. I believe strongly in so many ideas that are considered "liberal" - I believe gays should be able to get married, that a woman should have the right to choose to have an abortion, and in strict gun control laws. But I do not see a rational convincing argument for why I should pay more in taxes. Last year we paid 120k in taxes. HHI around 460k.
I cannot see how anyone can say that is not enough.
Yes, we make a lot of money. We make a lot of money because we work hard and always have. We worked hard starting in high school and basically never stopped. Studied harder than most everyone else to go to good colleges and good law schools. Busted our asses at big law firms for years. DH continues to bust his ass at said law firm and I have a more flexible part time job in exchange for a pay cut. But no one has ever given us anything. We paid for law school, and some of college, ourselves. DH worked a full time job all through college to help pay his way. Our parents were not wealthy. DH is from a very modest background. My family was more well-off than his, but I still worked starting at age 14 to help out. We have both always worked - mcdonalds, grocery stores - you name it, we have done it.
The financial success we now have is attributable to hard work. Not luck and not handouts. I did not complain about the 120k last year. I understand the philosophy behind a progressive income tax. But, at some point, haven't we given more than our fair share? Are we not entitled to reap the benefits of what we have achieved?

[Anonymous]

Good for you that you have worked hard and achieved financial success-I am in the same position actually. I think there will always be a group that says it's "disgusting" for you to have so much wealth and that the field needs to be evened. That thinking spawned the birth of communism and socialiasm and both do not work. This is the wrong site to vent your feelings though because DC has so many non profit and gov folk who esp. think you shouldn't be rich and need to pay more. We are in the minority.

[Anonymous]

The government deserves more of your money because:

- the Bush tax cuts were TEMPORARY (you aren't entitled to them forever, thus the word temporary)

- Obama has asked everyone to do their part in sacrificing (I'm a fed who just had my salary frozen)

- We have a big freaking deficit that has become a national security concern

[Anonymous]

Lots of people work hard and don't get your money. The blue collar parents with two jobs apiece, for example.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I am a fed too. Of course I am willing to do my part. I agree with the freeze. But 120k is more than my part.

[Anonymous]

Raising tax rates doesn't necessarily bring in more tax revenue. People will not try their hardest just to pay more tax. If you can't get rich, you might as well kick back and get all the free services you can, hide whatever money you make and extend your life-span. People (communists/socialists/people who print money) who don't ever factor in human nature and the roots of the capitalist wealth machine really don't think things through very well.

[Anonymous]

Nope. 120K isn't more than your part. Your part is based on your income. Your part can be infinitely large, depending on your income. You don't have to like it, but you are stuck with it, it is our tax system. Maybe try Canada or a country with a straight VAT system.

[Anonymous]

OP, I could say the exact same things that you have said in your post (except for law school). We both studied hard, we both work hard, paid our way and were never given a thing - not by our parents, or by society as a whole, other than opportunity. We make good money. Less than half of what you make, but we're happy with that. And we still feel like we would happily pay more in taxes if that meant better education for kids and better and more affordable healthcare for families. Yes, even others' kids and others' families. It's just a matter of priorities.

[Anonymous]

I'm in the same boat, but you know both of us are paying around 25% of our income in federal taxes. That's not all that bad.

As for the work part, my dad worked every bit as hard as I did and made 1/5 of what I do. He was born into poverty and I was born middle class. The point is that you and I are successful because we work hard, but not solely because we work hard. There are people poorer than us who work much harder, guaranteed.

[Anonymous]

Raising tax rates doesn't necessarily bring in more tax revenue. People will not try their hardest just to pay more tax. If you can't get rich, you might as well kick back and get all the free services you can, hide whatever money you make and extend your life-span. People (communists/socialists/people who print money) who don't ever factor in human nature and the roots of the capitalist wealth machine really don't think things through very well.
[Report Post]

Either you assume people are inherently good or you assume they are inherently evil. Often the people that view it one way can absolutely not even fathom the possibility of the other perspective. I, for one, think you are horribly wrong. There are billions of examples out there of people who work because of some sort of personal/ethnic/religious motivations. It is possible for people to be motivated by things other than money. If you need to see some examples of that, go find some social workers - ones who stuck it out in the field for more than 5 years. They aren't there for the money. Or look up some of the areas most popular public teachers. Again - not there for the money. National Zoo volunteers. Animal rescue workers. Some people want to be excellent because of an inner drive. Others don't get out of bed unless money is involved. But I think the latter are by far the minority of all humans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Raising tax rates doesn't necessarily bring in more tax revenue. People will not try their hardest just to pay more tax. If you can't get rich, you might as well kick back and get all the free services you can, hide whatever money you make and extend your life-span. People (communists/socialists/people who print money) who don't ever factor in human nature and the roots of the capitalist wealth machine really don't think things through very well.

By the way...lawyers don't really aid in the creation of wealth they are in a parasitic profession that is in general a drag on the economy. Not being critical...my job is in a red tape profession as well. This country needs to be more productive I.E. more manufactering, oil drilling, more nuclear power plants etc. or we are toast.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm in the same boat, but you know both of us are paying around 25% of our income in federal taxes. That's not all that bad.

As for the work part, my dad worked every bit as hard as I did and made 1/5 of what I do. He was born into poverty and I was born middle class. The point is that you and I are successful because we work hard, but not solely because we work hard. There are people poorer than us who work much harder, guaranteed.

This this this this this this!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The government deserves more of your money because:

- the Bush tax cuts were TEMPORARY (you aren't entitled to them forever, thus the word temporary)

ALL Bush tax cuts were temporary - you are not entitled to them forever either! And they were for ALL tax brackets.

- Obama has asked everyone to do their part in sacrificing (I'm a fed who just had my salary frozen)

Private sector jobs have not have meaningful raises in years - seriously. That is where the animus comes from. You got 5% raises while we were sucking wind.

- We have a big freaking deficit that has become a national security concern

Right. And where is it written that the big freaking deficit is only for the successful to solve?

Honestly, I am not the PP but I too went to college, as my spouse did, using loans, jobs, etc. We are paying full freight for our own children, as we should, because we ARE successful. Why are we the "bad guys" because of this?

[Anonymous]

OP, I could say the exact same things that you have said in your post (except for law school). We both studied hard, we both work hard, paid our way and were never given a thing - not by our parents, or by society as a whole, other than opportunity. We make good money. Less than half of what you make, but we're happy with that. And we still feel like we would happily pay more in taxes if that meant better education for kids and better and more affordable healthcare for families. Yes, even others' kids and others' families. It's just a matter of priorities.

This!! I could have written this! I think our HHI is probably around $220K, but we both grew up in lower-middle class in the midwest. We honestly don't even know what to do with all our money now, and we have two kids in daycare, a house, two cars, retirement savings, college savings for the kids, etc. We are just so blessed. I look some years at what we pay in taxes and realize it is more than my parents even earn combined in a single year. The number seems big, but I really don't mind. I would pay more, too, if it meant others would get more basic services.

[Anonymous]

Honestly, I am not the PP but I too went to college, as my spouse did, using loans, jobs, etc. We are paying full freight for our own children, as we should, because we ARE successful. Why are we the "bad guys" because of this?

Who called you a bad guy? You are only asked to do your share. Feds got a pay freeze. You are getting a hike in taxes. Suck it up. I'm not saying you deserve it any more than I deserved the pay freeze. It is what it is.