Quote Originally Posted by etucker1959 View Post
Marley first and foremost I want to say, "I think you're are one of the more popular members on this board." You are always quick to offer useful fishing advice to anyone who ask's for it. (I respect that a lot) When it comes to politics on this board, I know there is a fair amount of people who really don't follow it and might actually learn something by reading our comments. Which further illustrates that point is the lurkers to members ratio. I use to say it was a 7/1 ratio lurkers to members. In the last few days when I've checked that number, it is now a 20/1 ratio in favor of the lurkers. What I'm getting at is this, "I don't think I'm going to change your mind on anything." But some lurker out there after hearing both sides of an argument will hopefully then be able to make up his own mind what he thinks the truth really is.

You bring up the point of sensible tax reform. Where everyone is paying the same percentage of Tax's. This is the old flat tax argument over the graduated Income tax scale. For those of you who don't know the dynamics of what that argument is, "here's go nothing." Everyone would pay 15% of everything they earned instead of the top earners pay up to 50% of what they make. The system where the top earners pay up to 50% of everything they earn is called the Graduated Income Tax system. (the one we currently have in place.) I've always wondered why the average Joe believes so much in that system. (flat tax system) The big winners in that system would be the super rich and the big losers would be the poor. The middle class might have a slight advantage in that system, but it is totally unfeasible. It try's to get money from the poor who don't have it and then let the Rich get totally richer. Would that system even work????? Noooooooo!!! It would not allow the Federal government to collect enough tax revenue to do much of anything. So what would they then do???? Totally Gut popular social programs???? (probably) Yet they would still want a big military budget. Guess who that sounds like????? The former USSR right before it all fell apart!!!! I'm not kidding!!!!!!!! Even though we hoped Obama could have done more. These crazy Republicans want to turn our whole system on top of itself to the point it may all fall apart!!!!! I'm not kidding!!!!!! Plain and simple their idea's just wouldn't work!!!!!!! If you don't believe that, think of some of the things Trump said, "do you really think deporting 11 million people is remotely possible????" Or building a border wall and make Mexico pay for it!!!! These Republicans and their ideas are nothing more then snake oil salesman and are you going to buy into that?????????
Thanks. Who knows who those lurkers really are? Trump campaign workers? Sanders campaign workers, Hillary campaign workers (oh ****!)
But I see no reason to soak the rich because I like to think there is some incentive to working hard, doing the right things and becoming my idea of rich. The two issues I have with soaking the rich is that (1) it becomes an income re-distribution system where the rich are taxed to pay for the leeches at the bottom, which is what we have with so very many of the social programs. Obamacare hasn't been around long enough for a large fraud network to develop but just give it a little more time. And (2), the income definition of "rich" drops dramatically to the point that $70K in net annual income suddenly makes you a tax target because you have that exorbitant income. Everyone should pay income taxes, and they're not.
All this creates class envy, which is as divisive as bigotry and discrimination (though not nearly as destructive). A FAIR progressive/graduated tax is fine but only if everyone but the truly destitute pays it, if only Congress could agree on the definition of "fair", which helps bring us right back to gridlock.

Deporting 11 million people? Not possible unless they leave on their own because it's no longer comfortable for them to live here. If it is desirable to make them leave, and the cost of the social programs alone that they consume would make me say that it is, then stop the social programs, repeal the 14th amendment and make citizenship relative to the parent's citizenship. That would remove much of the incentive for them to stay. At the same time, make employing someone who is here illegally a crime with steep monetary penalties and enforce the penalty. There would be no need for a tangible wall at all, perhaps what Trump is actually talking about.



I think I need to kill some fish.