Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

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Originally Posted by Sluggo1

Right…pay for what you use.

What a terrible idea.

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That’s not how taxes work.

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Originally Posted by Hawkeye15

I used to be for a flat sales tax, but I am really only interested in framework for it now if there are exemptions. Meaning, if you don't report a certain amount of income, you pay no taxes. It gets progressive depending on the item as well. A boat that costs $100k, for instance, would carry a hefty tax. A Mercedes carriers a higher tax than a Honda.

At some point, our rich need to contribute more, period. I understand worth, value, and none of that explains why a tiny portion need to live in the hills in a gated community while so many starve and repeat the cycle of poverty. It doesn't mean set things equal, it means define excess, and only the filthy rich will then go attain it. Or, the cost of what we deem luxurious today, will drop and actually become attainable for a higher percentage of the population as it becomes less desireable for the upper middle class, and lower tier of wealthy people.

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Has there ever been a time in history that did not have a poor class or did not have "income inequality?" The haves and the have nots.

Seems like it is just an unavoidable fact of life.

I like hockey. It's gotten to be too expensive so I don't go. Haven't been to a game in years. Have a friend who puts $5 grand on his credit card for season tickets and probably another $30+ on game day expenses. He also has his kids on some free lunch program in school.

There are more people like this than you think. It gets tough to sympathize with this stuff.

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Originally Posted by Sluggo1

Has there ever been a time in history that did not have a poor class or did not have "income inequality?" The haves and the have nots.

Seems like it is just an unavoidable fact of life.

I like hockey. It's gotten to be too expensive so I don't go. Haven't been to a game in years. Have a friend who puts $5 grand on his credit card for season tickets and probably another $30+ on game day expenses. He also has his kids on some free lunch program in school.

There are more people like this than you think. It gets tough to sympathize with this stuff.

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I for one am much more inclined to sympathize with some lucky rich dolt who can’t decide which jet he wants to use to get to one of his offshore villas in the Cayman Islands.

There are a lot more people like this than you think.

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Originally Posted by Crovash

I for one am much more inclined to sympathize with some lucky rich dolt who can’t decide which jet he wants to use to get to one of his offshore villas in the Cayman Islands.

There are a lot more people like this than you think.

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As long as there are not a lot more like you, I'm OK.

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Originally Posted by Sluggo1

Has there ever been a time in history that did not have a poor class or did not have "income inequality?" The haves and the have nots.

Seems like it is just an unavoidable fact of life.

I like hockey. It's gotten to be too expensive so I don't go. Haven't been to a game in years. Have a friend who puts $5 grand on his credit card for season tickets and probably another $30+ on game day expenses. He also has his kids on some free lunch program in school.

There are more people like this than you think. It gets tough to sympathize with this stuff.

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There is no structure possible to stop a society from having rich and poor (unless you can find a way to turn off greed, and stupidity). But, we need to strive to cut those numbers from where they are, and have a much greater number truly in the middle.

I mean, if you can find happiness in long hours at the office, and not enjoying entertainment, that is great. Seriously. But we only have 1 life, so expecting others to be as militant as you is asking too much. I think anyways.

However, the mere fact that ANYONE would stick up for the truly rich (I sometimes think people confuse rich with higher income earners, which are 2 different things), is mind boggling. If any portion of our population needs literally zero sympathy, it's the rich.

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Originally Posted by Sluggo1

As long as there are not a lot more like you, I'm OK.

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Fasten your seat belt, Slugworth, ‘cause there’s plenty more of my kind rising up (you know: sensible, intelligent, forward-thinking, community-minded folk).



By the way, how’s your definition of western culture coming along?

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Originally Posted by Sluggo1

I guess you don't get it. The national sales tax replaces federal income tax and is added to local and state taxes which pay for the police that you don't use.

So go to the store. You buy your Cheetos. You pay your sales tax to the local community and state. An additional tax is then added for the federal government that replaces the income tax. Now everyone pays thew same rate of tax to the feds. Local taxation complaints can be taken up with the locals.

So you buy your Cheetos and an extra .03¢ goes to the fed. The rich guy, hatefully, buys a super big bag of Cheetos and smirks in your direction as he sends .08¢ to the fed…but he got more Cheetos.

Can't you see it…the sixth generation of Air Force/Navy fighter jet can be called the F25 Cheeto. It sings

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No I get it fine. To abolish all other taxes and solely use a national sales tax for taxes, that bag of cheetos would have to cost around $17.95. It's impractical for everyone to do a national sales tax.

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Originally Posted by Sluggo1

Has there ever been a time in history that did not have a poor class or did not have "income inequality?" The haves and the have nots.

Seems like it is just an unavoidable fact of life.

I like hockey. It's gotten to be too expensive so I don't go. Haven't been to a game in years. Have a friend who puts $5 grand on his credit card for season tickets and probably another $30+ on game day expenses. He also has his kids on some free lunch program in school.

There are more people like this than you think. It gets tough to sympathize with this stuff.

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I love it when people have outrage at this but not some rich guy who pays $5,000 in taxes on $200 million in assets because he hid all his money in a Cayman islands bank account.

Both are cheats, the rich guy is taking more of your money than the hockey pal.

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Originally Posted by Hawkeye15

I mean, if you can find happiness in long hours at the office, and not enjoying entertainment, that is great. Seriously. But we only have 1 life, so expecting others to be as militant as you is asking too much. I think anyways.

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This hits at the problem across every single thread from some. I think this way so everyone else needs to conform/fit in, in fact you will actually see him saying others need to fit in quite often. That is exactly the way Trump acts, he isn't in office due to a fluke but because of the mentality taking over many in politics (just like I point out with identity politics/Hillary on other side too it isn't one side).

Like seriously Sluggo's example here seems to be that this one guy he knows buys hockey tickets while receiving some lunch benefit for his kid then saying it happens more than you think. Oh the horrors of being poor and wanting to have a life.

Yes, we get it. There will always be wealth inequality.

As a result largely of astounding good luck, complemented in some cases by hard work, there are those who are worth more than others.

I have no problem with their contributing a lot more than others.

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Originally Posted by valade16

No I get it fine. To abolish all other taxes and solely use a national sales tax for taxes, that bag of cheetos would have to cost around $17.95. It's impractical for everyone to do a national sales tax.

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Go back and reread…National sates tax replaces income tax and is addition to local and state taxes.

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Originally Posted by valade16

I love it when people have outrage at this but not some rich guy who pays $5,000 in taxes on $200 million in assets because he hid all his money in a Cayman islands bank account.

Both are cheats, the rich guy is taking more of your money than the hockey pal.

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Of the two people you describe…who costs me the most money.

One guy buys something he cannot afford and takes something he doesn't need.

The rich guy doesn't cost me a dime. Does he take advantage of legal loopholes? You bet (as do I and would I). You want to close those loopholes, I'm fine with that. But as it stands, the guy ripping off lunch money costs me more than the guy banking in the Caymans.

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Originally Posted by mngopher35

This hits at the problem across every single thread from some. I think this way so everyone else needs to conform/fit in, in fact you will actually see him saying others need to fit in quite often. That is exactly the way Trump acts, he isn't in office due to a fluke but because of the mentality taking over many in politics (just like I point out with identity politics/Hillary on other side too it isn't one side).

Like seriously Sluggo's example here seems to be that this one guy he knows buys hockey tickets while receiving some lunch benefit for his kid then saying it happens more than you think. Oh the horrors of being poor and wanting to have a life.

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I know it man. Sluggo, as I have told him, reminds me of my Dad. I love my Dad, he is arguably the most intelligent man I know in most matters. That being said, he can't see anything, any topic, any situation, from any point of view except his own. It's crippling to any argument he has when it comes to politics or social matters. He just isn't capable of it. I think many people are guilty of this. In fact, when I realized I was viewing the world like that, it made me step back, and really take a look at the situation of others. To this day, anytime I am about to judge someone, I stop, and try and put myself in their shoes. Can I always do so? No, of course not. But I am at least trying to understand someone else's actions or decisions and realize while they may not be what I did, or decided, how can I judge another without walking in their shoes?

We have 1 life man. 1. Then we turn to dirt. I, have no desire to spend it working 70 hours a week or hiding my money in a piggybank to save, save, save. There is a balance. And I am fine, I have a great life. But I am considered upper middle class, and to me, that is a joke. If my life is better than 85% of the rest of the US, dude, we got problems haha.

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Originally Posted by Sluggo1

Of the two people you describe…who costs me the most money.

One guy buys something he cannot afford and takes something he doesn't need.

The rich guy doesn't cost me a dime. Does he take advantage of legal loopholes? You bet (as do I and would I). You want to close those loopholes, I'm fine with that. But as it stands, the guy ripping off lunch money costs me more than the guy banking in the Caymans.

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well that guy banking in the caymans does impact you, and everyone else he cheated out of tax money. Directly? No. Indirectly? Yep.

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Originally Posted by mngopher35

This hits at the problem across every single thread from some. I think this way so everyone else needs to conform/fit in, in fact you will actually see him saying others need to fit in quite often. That is exactly the way Trump acts, he isn't in office due to a fluke but because of the mentality taking over many in politics (just like I point out with identity politics/Hillary on other side too it isn't one side).

Like seriously Sluggo's example here seems to be that this one guy he knows buys hockey tickets while receiving some lunch benefit for his kid then saying it happens more than you think. Oh the horrors of being poor and wanting to have a life.

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So if he defaults on a loan, credit card, mortgage…I guess that's OK too.

If he steals a car from someone with a lot of cars…no prob there.

You're justifying bad behavior.

Were you one of those guys that cut out on me without paying your fare when I was driving a cab?