On Tue, 28 Oct 2008 00:04:03 -0400, Eisboch wrote:


Taxes are necessary to provide funding for programs and agencies
designed for the public's benefit, however selective taxing of one group
over another to "spread the wealth" is socialism, regardless of how you
want to define the word for your purposes.

This touches on a fundamental difference between Republicans and
Democrats. Republicans, at least from my perspective, believe a healthy
wealthy class, is the economic engine that drives the economy, Reagan's
"trickle down" economy, if you will. Democrats, on the other hand,
believe a vibrant middle class is the engine.

Disregard all the campaign BS. "It's the largest tax increase in
history." "It's the biggest tax cut ever." It's all BS. Since the
'50s, tax revenues, as percentage of GDP, have remained remarkably
constant, at @ 18% GDP +-, with individual income taxes accounting for @
8%.

http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxfa....cfm?Docid=205

If you look he

http://www.truthandpolitics.org/top-rates.php

You will see the top marginal tax rate *selectively* cut by Reagan, Bush
I, and Bush II, and increased by Clinton. This is the true "wealth
redistribution" from the middle class to the already wealthy, as
demonstrated by a Gini index of 40 in 1980, and a 46 presently.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gini_coefficient

The final kicker is, contrary to established myth, the economy does
better under Democrats than Republicans.

http://www.coba.unr.edu/econ/wp/pape...CONWP06008.pdf