Thoughts upon Occupying Wall Street and the Like

[outotoro]

I will admit at the beginning that I don't like some of the rhetoric associated with "Occupy" Wall Street. I tend not to think occupation is good. That's the language of "force" - not simply protest. I think its foolish to even think about comparing this to the Arab Spring... especially as protesters in Egypt and Syria in the past month have

Comments

[gager]

Flat taxes are regressive and hit the little guy hardest.

It's not like a progressive tax is that onerous or difficult. Everyone pays a certain rate on the first however much they make. If they are fortunate enough to make more, they pay a slightly higher rate on the next however much they make. It's not that complex.

I'm in favor of a flat tax if you mean eliminating tax breaks and loopholes. But a progressive rate schedule is just good policy and has been followed in this country for a long time for a reason: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zZsqkKtzLg&t=5m56s

[outotoro]

I'd rather have one grade -- you don't pay any tax on the first $X, and then every dollar after that is taxed at Y%. This is more for a desire for simplicity - and frankly, I'd rather just have one rate, that way there isn't the appeal to "well, we can raise taxes on 'them' and you don't get one, so it's okay." That's a divisive policy -- it encourages tax payers to think as though someone else should be paying for services, not themselves. I don't like that.

[outotoro]

An interesting note: "Incidentally, the American people widely support such campaign finance restrictions, but both Democrats and Republicans are chronically unwilling to forsake cash cow corporations and embrace reform. Creating huge public pressure to get corrupting money out of politics would be quite a happy ending for the protesters -- and our democracy."

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/14/opinion/kohn-occupy-protest/index.html?hpt=hp_t2