RNC InstaPoll: Cut Our Taxes

I'm "wealthy". That's right, I'm in that despised 1% of Americans who pays 40% of the nation's income taxes. Besides the ire of all my more-equal-than-others communist comrades, what do I get in return for paying arguably 40 times my share of the tax burden. Today I stood in line 1 hour at the DMV. Just like everyone else. The other day I called 911, and was put on hold. Just like everyone else. Will 40 firetrucks come to my door if I call in an alarm? No. Do I get 40 times more police patrols through my neighborhood. No, quite the opposite.

Here's the special treatment I get for paying more taxes than 40 of my fellow citizens: No PEL grants or discount loans for my kid's college tuition. No tax exemptions for my dependents. No tax deductions for my charitable contributions or health expenses. No tax deductions for my mortgage interest payments. The list goes on. The average American thinks that high-income earners skate by, while in fact we pay FAR more than our fair share of taxes. Sure there are scofflaws who stand out when they come to light. But as a group (and as for me, personally) our tax burden is far from just. If you're really for tax justice, then stop insinuating that any tax reduction must be fair, providing merely that it reduces taxes for anyone but the "wealthy".

Maybe the next time you see a high-income earner, you should thank him for paying your taxes for you, instead of asking him to pay even more. Of course, he might be hard to spot if he drives a 15 year old beat-up Ford like mine.

ttnewton of AK 11:38PM September 02, 2008