I wouldn't say the middle class hates the poor. I don't think the middle class fully understands them always, which begets animosity at times. They see their money going out with no real positive results, meanwhile the middle class struggles. It's not the same struggle but there is a struggle. The middle class has little voice or power in the process but are penalized more because they don't have a ton.

They donate, are socially aware, and pretty in touch with people. I'd bet the most religious, cultural, and racial diversity is found in the middle class.

I think if we all worried about each other we'd be better off. Don't ask of others what you wouldn't ask of yourself type of thing.

Yep. Why would anyone endorse a system that rewards a few at the expense of the many? It would be one thing if we had a truly free marketplace of ideas where ingenuity and hard work were valued and rewarded, but that just isn't the case, Cronyism is what's rewarded with the wealthy few making and enforcing laws to reinforce their position at the top.

We pretend we value "hard work", but that obviously isn't really the case. If so, the answer to "how much money is too much?" is very simple: when hard work is no longer necessary.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

No wonder Phil can't afford a personal trainer.

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Anyone trying to justify that level of taxation is off their rocker. It is the confiscation of someone's property. While taxes are necessary to pay for the public good, it is outrageous to take that percentage of someone's earnings. I don't care if someone gets money from a crony job, wins the lottery, or works his butt off practicing and handling the pressure of the British Open, the impact is the same. It's not like the money is going to some great cause. It gets flushed into the big waste hole that is the Federal (and Scottish in this case) and California governments.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

I believe there are European countries with taxation like this.

I contracted a job recently to paint a condo in Naperville. The owner rented it out to a section 8 renter. She paid just 13 dollars a month for the rent. The government paid the rest. Plus, she gets welfare and food stamps (link). She moved out the condo, because she found a single family home that section 8 was going to pay for her to live in. If you don't work and contribute anything to society, you shouldn't get subsidy to live in housing like that. It's a huge waste of taxpayer money. The government should pay only for low cost public housing, not be providing nice single family homes that cost taxpayers huge sums. Next, they are going to pay out to house prisoners in luxury condos....

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Go Cubs!!!!

Why are you ignoring the fact that the government is paying your client?

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

I am not ignoring it. I think it's wrong. Housing of that kind should not be paid for by the government.

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Go Cubs!!!!

But your client doesn't mind cashing those government checks and you don't think it's wrong enough to refuse to work for him so he can't pass the cash on to you.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

I never knew Steve was a Welfare Queen.

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The U.S. was like this, the top rate was 91% from 1944 until 1964 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Income_tax_in_the_United_States. It doesn't make it right. This isn't a rich vs. poor argument for me. It is free citizens vs. the government. Consider that no matter what you make, the percentage of money taken by the government in the form of taxes is the percentage of time you work for the government. I am fine with taxes, but there is a level at which the balance is tipped too far. Frankly, I would say anything above 25% is probably too much, but I could be persuaded up to maybe 33%.

Now, if the government spent that money in an efficient manner, then fine. But when we police the world (poorly at that), spy on our own citizens, can barely educate our kids, waste resources fighting a lost drug war, hand out (crony) corporate subsidies, etc, I can't justify taking that much from anyone.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

Makes sense.

I wasnt saying it was right, just that it's not unheard of

Heck, it's just my worthless tea party opinion anyways. You can't tax the rich enough to pay for the beast......

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Hawaii (fuck) You

Phil Mickelson certainly has no problem sharing his opinions on anything under the sun. He would fit in well at the CSFMB.