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Date Posted: 16:34:02 03/28/04 Sun
Author: Mt. Healthy Mountaineer
Subject: Comments on the comments
In reply to: Adilbrand 's message, "Re: Taxes" on 16:02:36 03/26/04 Fri

Adilbrand: "I still would like to see the wealthy taxed more and the poor taxed less."

The poor (and that is as vague a phrase as "the rich", so keep in mind that "poor" is in the eye of the beholder) do not pay federal income tax. That was the source of all of the rigamaroll last summer when "the poor" did not get an advance on their income tax refunds last summer - if you don't pay a tax you can't get a refund. In fact, if I'm not mistaken the Earned Income Tax Credit even offers a quasi-rebate program to top earners among the "poor", even though they paid little or no tax.

What taxes the poor do pay to the federal government are FICA and social security - which are taken based on a percentage of your income. Those are not income taxes, those are technically insurance payments (unemployment, medicaid, etc.


Abba's Son: Actually, the government needs to be audited! Waste needs to go out the window (i.e. - Space Program, how does the possibility of life on Mars affect my life? NOt at all! Use the money to pay our teachers.)

Adilbrand: The money will not go to pay teachers. Ever

True - Proportionally, very little Federal money goes into local schools systems, and none of it goes directly towards teacher salaries. When you hear a presidential candidate say that, your BS-ometer should go screaming off of the scale.

What federal money there is goes to the school lunch programs (and not all schools accept that, in Indianapolis the Speedway school system does not) and towards special education programs (throw transportation in under this umbrella).

Generally speaking, you should look at all of these federal programs as grants. If you've ever applied for a grant than you know that you have to go through hoops to get it and you have to keep going through hoops to maintain it and most grants make you do something that you really did not want to do to begin with but now you are doing it just to keep the money rolling in.

Adilbrand (continued - sorry for having to split your quote):(well, until this turns into a socialist nation, perhaps). This is a capitalist market, so the ones who make the most money are the ones who bring in the most money.

The reason teachers get paid "not-so-well" (don't get me wrong - my paycheck is more than adequate, but who wouldn't like more cash in their wallet?) is because it is a socialist system.

If teachers were able to individually bargain like sports athletes do than some teachers would get paid a helluva lot more than they do now, and some would get paid less. For example, I am double-licensed to teach history and Spanish. I know that if we were individually contracted my history degree would not be a bargaining chip - there are lots and lots of history teachers. Too many, in fact! However, there aren't enough Spanish teachers. I could easily demand and receive an above-average contract for teaching Spanish. My being double-licensed would even make me more valuable.

Few people choose a school because of a teacher - but people will pay money to see a star sport player play his or her game - so the sport player makes more money. The same works with CEOs and the space program.


A healthy, successful space program actually helps to boost the economy in a strange sort of way.

Yes it does - technological innovations, etc.

However, I look forward to the day when Hughes Aircraft is sending their own shuttles to Mars and Alcoa is sending mining surveys to the moon and the government is no longer paying for the exploration or even subsidizing it.

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