Why don't you focus on the question (progressive v regressive taxation, in case you had forgotten), rather than continually deflecting with your other hobby horses?
My hobby horses are pointed questions directed at naked parts of reality. It's hard to look at yourself without clothes on.
@sree251 And no doubt when Trump has finished dismembering what remains of a progressive taxation system, he will be able to charge the American taxpayer a few billion more.
My comment that you reacted to is about entrepreneurship, risking your own money in pursuit of profit. Musk's most risky ventures are underwritten by billions of dollars of federal contracts and subsidy, while profits on other businesses are propped up by tax write offs. It doesn't matter if they are legal or not. Somebody is paying for them, and it surely isn't Musk.
And no doubt when Trump has finished dismembering what remains of a progressive taxation system, he will be able to charge the American taxpayer a few billion more.
Conjecture.
My comment that you reacted to is about entrepreneurship, risking your own money in pursuit of profit.
SpaceX and Tesla were the riskiest ventures. NASA in its entire history before Elon Musk had never even thought of retrieving their first stage rocket thrusters for re-use. This novel idea alone was funded by venture capitalist money raised by Musk. He and those who stuck their necks out to the tune of hundreds of millions could have lost everything.
Musk's most risky ventures are underwritten by billions of dollars of federal contracts and subsidy, while profits on other businesses are propped up by tax write offs.
You are wrong. Both SpaceX and Tesla were created from start-ups funded by venture capitalists who put their faith in Elon Musk. The federal contracts came rolling in AFTER Musk's ideas were proven to be viable.
It doesn't matter if they are legal or not. Somebody is paying for them, and it surely isn't Musk.
At the end of the day, we all are paying for Musk's business creations from electric cars to Starlink satellite technology not to mention the AI applications in the field of medicine to warfare. And it's all legal for what it is worth. Legality is the touchstone of woke value. Morality is something else.
They nation became more in debt during Trump 1.0 then any other non-war time POTUS. He did this by lowering the taxes disproportionally on the wealthy.
There is likely waste in government spending, but you don't cure it but cutting government spending with a chain saw. You study job goals and performance then decide what is necessary and what isn't. That is what successful businesses and NGO do. Those that go bankrupt and stiff their contractors, vendors and eventually creditors don't know how to do that.
@samueltyler2 I never said I object to lowest tier of people getting back more than they pay in, or lower income paying a lower rate vs higher earners. I just pointed it out as the truth that fed tax IS progressive. I simply believe that the majority should pay in some and the upper tiers should not carry all the burden.
I'm only top 5th/6th percentile for income but am basically blocked from any deduction I should get because of income phase outs beyond home interest and about 55-60% of my total state/ local/ property tax bills. No pretax IRA, can't contribute to a Roth, no deduction for one cent of fully funding college even w two in at once. I just want the money spent well .. which there is ample evidence is often not the case and for everybody to shoulder some responsibility for themselves. Too many able to work don't and collect public aide their whole life. I shoulder too much to accept that.
I'd be ok paying soc security on all my income .. be ok with a much higher cut off .. but there ought to be some return in a couple slightly higher tiers and better overall benefits. Improving how the money is managed, reducing fraud and keeping illegals off our social programs are key to that.
States that get back more in federal support are like the lower tier of the population. There is no full aid life for a state the way there is that component for individuals. Every state absolutely does pay in. How do you justify a free ride for individuals and not see the need to share among states as the same thing?
@BrandNewMan you are mistaken about my views. I believe the higher income people should pay much more than they now do. Same with the states. I don't see any free ride being justified. I also believe that every citizen should be required to do some "pay back" for the freedoms they enjoy, military or civilian public service
Thousands, LOL. Not in our state. A few but they do bus people in from California sometimes. These are all paid for their time, it's really just a part time job for them, so no one knows what they think or care.
Looks like maybe active and retired teachers and/or civil service? Not very many younger people, or Black people. Don't look like union workers. My money says teachers and civil service.
Is it true that to dhow unity, Democrats have ordered Blue, MAWA hats?
Normal people are getting fed up with Trump's incompetence.
Firing then rehiring thousands of staff, national security failures, screwing up social security, and totally failing to actually charge a single person with "fraud".
@SunshineGirl Biden had how many people fired for not getting vaxed? The push to all electronic currency and ability to monitor all banking transactions was to allow the govt to cut people off from their money like Trudeau did to the Canadian truckers when they protested. The left pushed to have people silenced on social media if it went againt leftist policies. That is a far more a liberal/democrat driven thing. But .. you know that, because coordinated projection of what you are actually doing is as well.
