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I'm not sure what you mean when you say we are a nation divided against ourselves, economically. I'm not sure what you mean by his policy will level the playing field, and I'm not sure why we need more regulatory restrictions, don't we have enough?

It seems that for some reason we demonise the rich as if they are getting away with something and should be punished. Personaly I wish I were rich and had to pay a lot in taxes, but that was not my lot in life. Did you know that before the Bush tax cuts a family earning an AGI of $35,000 paid 8.5% in Federal Income Tax after credits and now pays %5.1 or a 39.4% decrease. That over 43,000,000 tax returns paid no income tax. Did you know that the top 1% earn 19% of the AGI and pay 37.5% of all tax income. The bottom 50% earn 13% and pay 3%

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What would happen if we taxed everyone at the same rate with the first $40,000 of income non taxable? If you look at the link you can see that "the rich" are paying more than their fair share. Maybe we should have a government that spends less so that they have to collect less.

The middle class as a whole make up 75% of US tax payers. It consist of 3 parts. Upper middle, middle and lower middle. The upper middle ( 25 to100,00 dollars yearly earnings ) are lumped in with the top 30% in order to manipulate the numbers which make it seem as if the rich are paying a fair share. The truth is that neither the rich ( top 10% ) or the poor pay a fair share or any taxes at all. The middle class ( those making between 25 and 100,000 per year ) make up the bulk of taxes paid in America.

Do the math
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I read your link Charles and question where your numbers came from. Where do you get your middle class numbers from?

Charles, here's a link that shows the tax burden to "the middle class" has actualy been decreasing from levels in the 1950's.

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My link is from the US Department of the Treasury

This is from your link:

Average after-tax income gains, 1979-97
Top 1% $414,200
Middle fifth $3,400
Bottom fifth -$100

* The CBO data also show that after-tax income rose tremendously among the top one percent of the population in the 1980s and 1990s, with the gains that high-income individuals made far outpacing the gains of other Americans. From 1979 to 1997 (the years CBO studied), the average after-tax income of the richest one percent of households climbed 157 percent, or $414,000. Among the middle fifth of households, average after-tax income rose a much more modest 10 percent, or $3,400. (The figures in this paragraph are adjusted for inflation and expressed in 1997 dollars.)
So not only did the middle class pay a bit less in taxes, it seems the top 1% did much better.

Maybe the solution is for you to become one of the top 1% Imagine how hard some of them worked to achieve that goal. We know the top 1% pay 37% of the taxes. How much do you think they should pay? Taken on face value 1% paying all that money is a little obsene or should we penalise them more for acheiving what we all wish we had?

The top 10% of US wage earners paid 96% of the taxes in the states, try reading the Wall Street journal because I am getting tired of the BS here.
TJ

The National Taxpayers union says different
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