Debating
So I was having a heated FB debate with a tea partying Christian buddy of mine and his friends the other day. He always lures me in like a big fat coyote by making provocative, politically charged status updates. He got me going with this one:
While he sat back and occasionally stirred the pot, I went at it with his friends over Warren Buffett's Stop Coddling the Rich editorial in the NY Times.
I've noticed through my interactions with my right-wing friends that there seems to be a national talking point that goes something like this: the poor pay no taxes.
Which of course is not true, but I tried my damndest to explain the tax system, how many different taxes there are and how many loopholes the well-healed exploit with their armies of accountants and lawyers, the difference between percentage of income paid vs amount paid...yadda yadda yadda.
The only response I got to that was, "I doubt it" and "Libs wouldn't want "workers" to pay any taxes."
Finally my buddy says, "HAAHAHA! Just trying to get you both going. Right and left both suck."
"So what's the third way?" I asked.
"The third way is if everyone loved their neighbor the way we are supposed to," he explained. "We wouldn't have or need an earthly government. God would be our Washington, and Jesus our party."
I have no idea what that really means and I didn't ask. Just sad that we can't see to eye to eye on what seems like such a basic concept to me: fairness. It's like we've formed different tribes.
Cheeahz!
While he sat back and occasionally stirred the pot, I went at it with his friends over Warren Buffett's Stop Coddling the Rich editorial in the NY Times.
I've noticed through my interactions with my right-wing friends that there seems to be a national talking point that goes something like this: the poor pay no taxes.
Which of course is not true, but I tried my damndest to explain the tax system, how many different taxes there are and how many loopholes the well-healed exploit with their armies of accountants and lawyers, the difference between percentage of income paid vs amount paid...yadda yadda yadda.
The only response I got to that was, "I doubt it" and "Libs wouldn't want "workers" to pay any taxes."
Finally my buddy says, "HAAHAHA! Just trying to get you both going. Right and left both suck."
"So what's the third way?" I asked.
"The third way is if everyone loved their neighbor the way we are supposed to," he explained. "We wouldn't have or need an earthly government. God would be our Washington, and Jesus our party."
I have no idea what that really means and I didn't ask. Just sad that we can't see to eye to eye on what seems like such a basic concept to me: fairness. It's like we've formed different tribes.
Cheeahz!