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>>I agree that 250K is not the right cut-off for a top tax level. I think there should be another marginal tax bracket at a million dollars or so. Surely, you won't argue that anyone netting $1M in a year isn't rich, at least for that year?
>>
>
>If a lawyer or a software developer or a doctor or a store owner works hard and makes $1M it is HIS/HER money. They DO NOT OWE to the government for their success. Making them pay more for every dollar they make is PUNISHING them for success. It is destroying this country. It is making this country work like Soviet Union.
>

And yet our most prosperous time (as considered by most historians) were when the top tax bracket was set somewhere around 80%.


>>>
>>>The roads and education is paid by taxpayers money; not government. I agree we need public funds for the necessary services. But not to the Solyndras.
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>>I said it was paid by taxpayers, specifically "we pay with our tax dollars." The mechanism by which we do that is government. Solyndra may have been a mistake, but I'll point out that Paul Ryan's family made a lot of their money on government contracts, too.
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>
>The mechanism by which we get our services - government - is badly broken. The government of Obama has not a care in the world for providing quality and efficient services that we - taxpayers - pay for. All that the governemtn of Obama cares is THEIR JOBS. And JOB for THEIR friends.
>
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>>>Most importantly the policies of class warfare (= Obama's policies) makes this society worse off every day. People have less and less motivation to work hard, learn skills, make more money. Reminds me very much of the Soviet times.
>>>And during the Soviet times I heard almost exactly the same arguments you make.
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>>That doesn't describe the people I know. Most want to find meaningful work that pays them enough to live comfortably. Do you run into a lot of people for whom that's not the case? I don't mean do you hear such stories; I mean in your daily living, do you personally run into a lot of people who "have less and less motivation to work hard, learn skills, make more money"?
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>>Tamar
>
>In my work I meet many - hundreds since I have been in business 25+ years - people like mechanics, electricians, plumbers, etc. And yes I see very often the attitude of "why should I care since if I make more they will make me pay more. "
>
>A example. We have friends who's son just graduated from university in IT field. I have known him since he was in elementary school (I used to drive him and his brother and my younger daughter to a summer camp). He is a very smart and used to be very entrepreneurial kid. He had all kinds of "small" businesses when he was in high school. Delivering flowers, computer tech support for residents, etc. I have always admired him and my wife and I always thought that he would do something big. During the college - he was in a co-op program - he got a government job; doing some trivial tech support for computers in a department. He himself told me that it was nothing much, kind of boring, not a lot of money (my guess he makes about 50-60k). Now we find out that he decided to stay on this job after college. Why? Easy job, no need to do much and no need to constantly learning. And in 20 years good pension. Here is what your good government does to people.

And it could also possibly be that he's looked around at what was available in the area and has decided to stay with the job he had because it was the best available. It's a buyer's market out there and a lot of the 'buyers' are looking for everything including the kitchen sink and are willing to pay pittance for it.