[silverleaf]

The bad news is that, with so few people really PAYING taxes. "cutting taxes" is a policy tool that appeals to fewer and fewer folks. The tyranny of the majority stands to ensure its grip on ever larger tax revenues, paid by a numeric minority.

The policy of robbing Peter to pay Paul will usually be supported by Paul.

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

Exactly. Where's all that "rights of the minority" rhetoric when you need it? The majority cries, "The government should pay for that." But the government has no money. Why not just cut out the middle man and legalize robbery of the rich.

[So Cal Rocket]

A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until a majority of voters discover that they can vote themselves largess out of the public treasury.

[Wristpin]

The last figures I saw stated that 47 percent of "filers" pay zero income tax. I wonder how many "zero filers" draw refundable credits and EIC from the system.

[Pessimist]

You're exactly right.

For my adult lifetime, the finer "nuances" of tax policy have generally boiled down to creative ways to jigger with the proportion of people who are considered "rich".

I think its part of the political calculus anymore. Politicians can cynically tailor their tax policies with some precision to maximize their appeal to a sufficient number of voters.

And to the extent that they stoke the flames of class warfare, what has resulted is tantamount to mob rule.

[Marxbites]

I agree - what stake in America do those that pay zero income tax, but yet get child reverse taxes, have in voting for anybody but redistributtionists - none.

Cutting this elitist enriching pig of a Govt was RWR's job #1.

ALL who derive benfit from Govt should pay at least something for no other reason than to disuade them form thinking they are owed something from the rest of us.

Taxes are the very stuff that allows Govt to have become 3x it's constitutional size and cost, and is mostly enabled through the Fedl Reserves ability to inflate the currency and is the reason for it's existence.

See this - read the article at the link at bottom of the excerpt:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1534199/posts

[GovernmentShrinker]

A more meaningful statistic (but impossible to obtain, due to deliberate government obfuscation in all its wealth redistribution schemes) would be what percentage of the population are NET taxpayers, i.e. pay in more than they take out. And within that small and shrinking group, how disproportionate the tax burden is.

[Rakkasan1]

he who robs Peter to pay Paul Wellstone ends up with a sore
peter