Poll: Most say redistribute wealth - POLITICO.com
This is both depressing and, sadly, understandable.
What is "fair" income distribution? How can the government make things "fair" when most of the elected leaders (and many of the bureaucrats) are in the upper-class?
States with high taxes on the highest income earners, such as New York and California, have cities with some of the greatest wealth gaps. If the most "progressive" places cannot make things "fair" with high taxes, exactly what does solve the gap?
Readers know my answer: personal choices have more to do with wealth gaps than any other factors. Yes, those choices reflect cultural pressures, but they are still choices. We cannot make someone graduate high school. We cannot make couples marry (though I would rather government not be involved in marriage). People make bad choices when they are young and the consequences last a lifetime.
Yes, life is not fair. Government cannot change that. At most, it can offer a minimal safety net.
We already tax the "rich" more than in the last 30 years, and we tax the middle and lower-class families less. So, why is the gap increasing? Clearly, there is more to this issue than tax policy.
Poll: Most say redistribute wealth - Kevin Robillard - POLITICO.com
Nearly 6 in 10 Americans say wealth is distributed unfairly in the United States, and a majority want the federal government to play Robin Hood to fix the problem, according to a poll released Thursday.
Only 33 percent of Americans think the current distribution of wealth in this country is fair, according to the Gallup Poll, while 59 percent say it is not. Fifty-two percent said the United States should redistribute wealth through heavy taxes on the rich, while 45 percent disagreed.
What is "fair" income distribution? How can the government make things "fair" when most of the elected leaders (and many of the bureaucrats) are in the upper-class?
States with high taxes on the highest income earners, such as New York and California, have cities with some of the greatest wealth gaps. If the most "progressive" places cannot make things "fair" with high taxes, exactly what does solve the gap?
Readers know my answer: personal choices have more to do with wealth gaps than any other factors. Yes, those choices reflect cultural pressures, but they are still choices. We cannot make someone graduate high school. We cannot make couples marry (though I would rather government not be involved in marriage). People make bad choices when they are young and the consequences last a lifetime.
Yes, life is not fair. Government cannot change that. At most, it can offer a minimal safety net.
We already tax the "rich" more than in the last 30 years, and we tax the middle and lower-class families less. So, why is the gap increasing? Clearly, there is more to this issue than tax policy.
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