Capt. JG wrote:
You mean saying that I don't know, but saying that it should be fair isn't
responsive?


The problem is that everybody has a different idea of
"fair." In a culture that is increasingly dominated by
narcissists who were spoiled as children and raised mostly
by TV, "fair" is coming to mean "I get *all* the cake." This
leads to the kind of winner-take-all socio-economic struggle
we have seen in Iraq "reconstruction" conract awards.

It's not pretty.


Basically, if you're more well-off, you should pay more both numerically and
as a percentage. Thus, if someone makes $30K a year and has three kids, she
shouldn't be paying as high a percentage of her income as someone who makes
$250K a year and has three kids. Let's say say the $30Ker pays 10% (which I
think is way, way too high, but ok). That's a pretty big percentage of a
small income. Now take the $250Ker. She's paying $25K, which while not
insignificant, leaves a whopping $225K for expenses, whatever. What would be
wrong with the $250Ker paying 20%. This still leaves $200K, which is plenty
to live on.

Obviously, this can't be an absolute scale, but the trend should be obvious.


You're on the brink of discovering marginal tax rates.
Waiter! A little more math for my friend here!

DSK