I must disagree that all the “rich people” have body guards to protect them, rhbee. Was that tongue in cheek? Because the top 5% make, what, over 100K? That’s really middle class wages in places like DC, NY, LA. The only people really “getting away” with anything is our congress, which makes questionable laws to protect the most corrupt and powerful corporations. When they all get caught with their hands in the cookie jar, congress holds pointless hearings and investigates the corruption which they themselves enabled.

It’s the only fair way for everybody to share the burden.

Why do the rich complain about taxes in the first place? They get more for their money! Life, liberty and happiness are promised to all, but the government provides more to the rich. The poor aren’t putting their ski-boats in at ramps built by the Army Corps of Engineers, traveling to Yellowstone, or being saved by the Coast Guard when their yacht springs a leak. The rich have more property, drive more, fly more, get better education, live in healthier environments and get better protection from law-enforcement. The justice system is available to all, but lawyers cost.

Those who serve in the military, which we are told defends our freedoms, are not the rich. The troops largely come from small towns and urban neighborhoods where there is no place else to go. The freedoms which make America great, which the rich can take advantage of, are protected by the poor.

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All this while the poorer a person is, the larger the portion of their income they give to charity.

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The American Dream is fading away and that will cost our country and our economy more than money. While there are some who go from rags to riches and some who go from riches to rags, the most reliable way of being rich today is to have rich parents. Many European countries now actually have higher levels of change in social class than the does the USA. When people believe that they live in a land of opportunity, they will work and sacrifice to improve themselves and their family. As it becomes harder to break out of poverty, hope leaks out of our country.

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The American economy is designed by the rich, for the rich. Our government, media, culture and even religion are the way they are because they support an economy which helps the rich remain rich. There are exceptions, but not enough to change the system.

The financial elites are not stupid; the rich will not let things get so bad that we are tempted to revolution, but don’t be fooled by social programs and charity. They exist only to keep the dissatisfaction from turning into chaos.

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Hope for a world where human life has value, greater value than money, is not realistic.

There is hope for progress and there is work to be done. Perhaps we can modify amoral institutions by appealing to the human people who work in those institutions. Perhaps we can persuade the rich that they will be better off if all of us are better off. Perhaps the standards of religious and ethical thought will change – they have before. Perhaps the masses of people will see their common cause and rise up and demand dignity. I am not optimistic, but I do hope, and I believe in doing the right thing whether there is hope or not.

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So going back to “bar stool economics,” and trying to relate it to the American economy, the rich are buying premium brands and micro-brews and $60 glasses of single malt scotch, but there are more people than ever who can’t afford a Bud-Lite. And the rich aren’t buying it for them.

This “bar stool economics” story – is a story. Propaganda. It has no relation to reality.

If the story was modified to reflect reality, when the bill was $100 the poorest men would get two 7-ounce bottles of Bud and the rich man would receive two six-packs of Sam Adams…at $80 the poorest men would receive one 7-ounce bottle of Bud with a mouse in it and the richest man would receive a whole case of some exotic German beer that’s only sold out the back door of the brewery.

Conservatives think liberals want the rich to pay higher taxes because the rich don’t deserve to have all that money. Some of them do, I won’t deny that. Most liberals come at it from a different angle: rich people do not get rich without a lot of help from the government. Consider Walmart. They make a LOT of money, but they wouldn’t be able to without a lot of government services–ranging from roads to police protection. We would really appreciate it if the rich would pay their fair share of the burden.

And John, I’ve got to point out the obvious to you: if the rich man doesn’t have anything for his unemployed drinking partners to do–because he doesn’t have enough demand for his products–he won’t hire them no matter how low his taxes get. OTOH, if demand for the rich man’s products gets so high his staff can’t keep up, he’s going to hire no matter how high taxes are. Demand drives employment, nothing else.

Someone else writes “why should the rich be punished?” Punished? Where is the punishment from being wealthy in America? You’ve got to be kidding me. And NO, most rich people are not the fairytale success story of rags to riches, most were born into affluence or at least a level of comfort that allowed for the education and skills to succeed.

10 men go out for a beer and the bill comes to $100. They decide that the only fair way to pay is that each man pay for himself. So each man paid the bar $10 and the bar got $100.

The next day only 6 showed up. “Where are the other guys?” the richest guy asked.

“They don’t make enough money to go out for beer every night so it will be just the 6 of us,” said his middle income buddy. So they paid the bar $60.

The next evening came and only 3 showed up. “Where are the other 3 guys?” asked the rich guy.

“Bob’s company is laying people off and he figured he better tighten his belt. Jim’s son is going to college next month and Ray needs minor surgery so they won’t be in for a while. So they settled their bill and gave the bar $30.

The next night only two men arrived and noticed that Jenny the waitress was missing.

“Where is everybody?” asked the rich guy.

“The bar isn’t making enough and had to lay Jenny off. Bruce’s wife lost her job and their mortgage went up so he won’t be in.”

They paid the bar $20 and left.

The next night the rich guy showed up and no one else was there. He sees sign on the door: Closed for lack of business.

On his way back to his car he’s stopped by a guy in an apron. “I was the dishwasher here and now I’m out of work, can you spare some change?”

The rich guy throws some quarters at him and gets into his Mercedes.

And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is why the tax system is the way it is. There is no economy when only the rich have money to spend.

Dude– ever hear of the 16th Amendment? I’m with you that Congress are a bunch of out-of-touch good-for-nothings, but they have every right to levy an income tax. It’s one of our basic laws.

Joe