I fall into that category who will get whalloped by taxes, but I don't consider it "punishment" for my success (nor does my husband, who earns the bulk of it). While we are hardly fans of the "marriage tax penalty," we do support higher taxes on those who can afford it. Fixing the system requires a fair tax code for everyone, and that may mean a lot of people wind up paying more than they currently do. This hardly has to do with marriage or civil unions, but politics as usual.

We believe that fair societies require investments from everyone, and that those who have been fortunate enough to benefit from their hard work, and in many cases if not most, social advantages have a responsibility to the social fabric. That means paying in to ensure that everyone has a fair shot at life, not just those who earn a lot of money. And let me add here that my husband hardly qualifies as a bleeding heart liberal - he's a staunch capitalist who recognizes the serious flaws in the system while supporting it as the best system out there.

Suzanne Reisman, Contributing Editor - Feminism & Gender
Campaign for Unshaved Snatch (CUSS) & Other Rants

I loathe formal short pants as well.

Suzanne Reisman, Contributing Editor - Feminism & Gender
Campaign for Unshaved Snatch (CUSS) & Other Rants

Well I am all for a tax free society...then Bush, Cheney, and their adorable cronies wouldn't have $10,000,000 a month to send to Iraq. Of course we wouldn't have streets, or street lights, or sewage, or libraries, mueseums, or even gas companies (heavily subsidized by the government), or food (also heavily subsidized by the government), or public schools, or well maybe we could just do away with Bushs untaxed retirement income. I love the idea! Then we could rake in the dough......that is after we pay for streets so our customers can get to our business or pay $10 a gallon for gas yada yada yada......

Yeah    Lets not have taxes!  Then those individuals who earn over $250,000.00 a year can pay for an army of mercnaries to protect them.... since we wouldn't have an army or police or firemen...lol lol good thinking!

 Darling, speaking as a college graduate who has never earned more than $35,000 a year, has lived in two of the most expensive cities in the country for a decade and a half, and has never felt that my life was significantly lacking in material wealth--what on EARTH do you need $250K a year FOR?

 The Danes are among the happiest people in the world, by their own account, and they pay tax rates upwards of 80%, in some instances.  They have their education, healthcare, transportation, housing, bike lanes and social respect guaranteed.  They are then free to 1) choose whatever career they prefer, without serious attention to either financial remuneration or social status, and 2) spend extensive time with family and friends. 

 In other words, they are free.  And every one of them is successful.  

http://ohprettylady.blogspot.com

I agree with the observations that have been made regarding taxes and our society. We have reached a point where we cannot do a way with them in practical manner. And Pretty Lady has some interesting points about what could be done with taxes -- assuming we switched our priorities around to fund the things that actually improve quality of life.

YieldingWealth.com

As small business owners both, my husband and I pay the equivalent of a small Nordic country in taxes.  

And I'd be fine with it, if my taxes weren't mostly going to pay interest on debt, and military spending. If we had universal health care, good schools (oh yeah, we'll probably have to cough up more for private school), strong infrastructure, and clean water, I'd pay as much as it took.

But that's not the case. Less so each year. So how am I supposed to be a joyful citizen knowing that?? It's taxation without representation, as far as I'm concerned. 

Morra Aarons-Mele
www.womenandwork.org

Interesting points, American Princess.  And to me, the biggest shame is the fact that the inequity of women's salaries in the workplace is the reason that they'd likely take the biggest hit tax-wise.   

But,
frankly, I'm not all worked up about the tax implications of Obama's
plan (perhaps because I'm not enjoying a total $250k a year with my
husband?).  This isn't the plan authored by a man living in an
ivory tower, who has never known the paycheck to paycheck
lifestyle.  This isn't a man who owns multiple properties/homes
throughout the U.S. and a jet with which to jaunt about among said
properties.  

And while I understand that the marriage
'penalty' is alive and kicking, I'm not sold on the fact that any new
social program will be inevitably useless.   As for the
following statement in your conclusion, "this is really just a way of
sneaking in civil partnerships," I guess I'm just not following that
line of reasoning and it's relevance here.  It's been a long day,
so forgive me!!

Just Margaret 

~Margaret

That's what bothers me, too. I have no problem paying taxes. And I have no problem paying more than people who may not have been blessed with the same opportunities I have in terms of income. But it is hard to be happy about it when other countries' militaries, as well as subsidized (yet profitable) corporations and pork barrel projects, get the bulk of it.

YieldingWealth.com

As previous posters have mentioned in their way, it is less the taxes that bother me, than what they fund and don't fund.

I am very envious of my French cousins who can take three years off when they bear a child and then send their children to fabulous schools. My tax dollars don't provide me with those things. And I don't imagine a tax increase suddenly providing my child with terrific schools, family with long paid parental leaves, a 35 hour work week, or socialized health care.

I need to keep my money to fund the care of my family myself.

The area in which I live is not as expensive as NYC. And in turn I don't earn the income described above. But I still have to be extremely careful about how I handle my paycheck to keep Uncle Sam from taking so much out of it that I can't afford to care for my family.

If I'm paying for something, I want get something in return. And I'm not getting a lovely Danish lifestyle for my taxes.

Christine

Try being successful and single with no kids.  Who can trust an editorial from the New York Sun about anything?  How about checking out this NON-PARTISAN analysis from the Chicago Sun:  

"The rich would pay more under Barack Obama's tax plan, and the poor and
middle-class would pay less, a nonpartisan analysis finds. Under John
McCain's plan, the rich would pay much less than they do now, the poor
and middle-class would pay a bit less, and the federal deficit would
grow, the study found. "

And what Morra said.  I dont mind paying taxes for schools, I just want more of my taxes to pay for better schools and healthcare. 

Yours, Tracy Viselli (a.k.a. Myrna the Minx)

My Company

Reno Fabulous Media: www.renofabulousmedia.com
My Main Blog
Reno and Its Discontents: www.renodiscontent.com

I pay my taxes quarterly because I'm self-employed. I'm acutely aware of how much of my money goes to the goverment and I absolutely feel the sting when I write that check.  

But I'm fond of things like paved roads and public transit and the cops that came to my door when my car was stolen and the other ones who kept an eye out for those damn crack dealers across the street from my house. I like traffic lights and educated kids and as much as I don't support what our military is being used for these days, I'll conceded that we should indeed HAVE a military. I like those guys who put out the fire we saw two weeks ago down at the beach and I really dig the drawbridge that makes it possible for the barges that deliver all our stuff (that's made in China, probably) to get to the pier where it's unloaded -at the port that's also paid for out of public funds. 

If I have to pay money to buy formal shorts (something I, too, will NEVER do) then it makes sense that I'd have to pay money for a bunch of other stuff that I use as well. I would find it an amusing exercise to have anti-tax people stop using the things our tax dollars pay for. 

Nerd's Eye View

I agree with most of the commenters so far.

I don't see social services and educational programs as useless. I wish more money would flow to them rather than to the war. Fairly paying teachers, police officers, firefighters, and public works professionals is far more important to me than sending my money to overpriced contractors--some of whom are literally hired guns--in Iraq.

Also, are there really wealthy people who pay such a huge percentage of their income in taxes? My observations are that wealthy people can afford accountants and tax preparers to help them lower their own tax burden. Again and again I see my impoverished grad student friends (making $13,000/year in an expensive city) writing checks around April 15, while my husband and I, who make far more money and use a tax preparer, are getting big refund checks.

Leslie

BlogHer Contributing Editor, Research and Academia
My blogs: The Clutter Museum, Museum Blogging, and The Multicultural Toy Box

Wow. I am a little in shock right now.

My mom, at 60 years old, is one of the most hard working people I know. She gets up 3:30 am and leaves the house just before 5 to commute two hours into San Francisco to a "well-paying" job at the largest insurance company in the world. After putting in an hour or so of overtime each day, she crawls home through commute traffic and walks back through the door close to 8 pm. She does this for, with overtime pay, $80,000 a year. My father passed away, but in the hayday of his career as a stationary engineer never made more than that.

Personally, I'm a single parent. I clawed my way through college, working at the same time, taking care of my father as he died of cancer, surviving a flood which wiped out everything we owned, and taking care of my daughter we left her abusive father.

No one in my family knows what it's like to be "brutally punished" with taxes. We probably never will. I now consider myself "successful," have a wonderful job with amazing benefits, but I still qualify for affordable housing in my high-cost-of-living region. I'm sure with hard work and dedication, I can rise to my mother's level of pay, but that's where my reality ends. The truth is that there is only so much room at the top of the wealth pyramid, and a lot of amazing, hard-working people make up the base.

I can only pray that if there comes a day when I am fortunate enough to live a life that, let's face it, billions of people on this planet would die for, I will be honored to share my wealth.

Visit my site at singleparent.pnn.com

Can we be successful, happy families? Si se puede!

Poor Princess:  must be all upset she can't buy 4 cars this year, only 3, with the bad Bush economy?

NO ONE likes taxes!  So why don't we write to all those right wing nuts, from Bush-Cheney to their boy McCain, and ask them why they started a completely unnecessary war that will end up costing 3,000 BILLION+ ?!?!  They PROMISED it would ONLY be about $ 50 Billion, like that's cheap to them. 

AND instead of asking Americans to give a little to fight terrorism they told us to go SHOPPING !  Buy more from Red China, etc.!  We could have been paying for their mistake in Iraq, which is completely different from Afgan., years ago, but they didn't want us to feel the pain, they wanted it to seem painLESS to spend $100 Billion+ a year for nothing!

So by the time we pay back Red China in 30 years or so it will, with interest, be about 3,000 Billions $$$$$  That's like burning down 10 MILLION homes worth $ 300,000 each, that's insane, that's the biggest blunder in US history!

So McCain is hiding the FACT that we will have to raise taxes for HIS WAR!  I propose a small national sales tax, the IRAQ WAR TAX to be sure, so every time we pay it the recept prints out X-dollars for the IRAQ WAR !$!$  I'm sure kids today and those to come will be ticked off still paying it in the year 2038 !  I hope Princess doesn't mind paying an extra several thousand dollars for her new foreign car, as it was for HER War! 

And why is she writing, why not in Iraq, getting shot at?  Afraid of losing an eye, arm, or leg?  She can see Maj. Tammy Duckworth at the Democratic Convention speak out against the war.  She flew a helicopter there and managed to land it even though seriously wounded and in great pain after a rocktet hit it; she LOST BOTH LEGS !

Princess, etc. Fox brain-washed nuts, get over there and feel the pain, see your destruction, see the many women and children living in crude tents and with little to eat; because frankly as bad as dictators are they were better off under one than the total mess of a foreign invasion.

First of all, as a single, successful (albeit wayyyy under $250,000/yr) woman, I resent having to pay taxes on a public education system that, 1) I'm not using! (hey - isn't that taxation without representation?!) and 2) miserably fails US kids across the country by paying inadequate teachers.

Single people have been getting screwed over by the IRS since they opened their doors. (An "interesting" history that sneeky IRS has - everyone should read up on how it began.) Singles don't get ANY tax breaks, unless they're "cheating".

Even the recent "rebate" check was 1/2 than a 2-income household. Does it make sense that 1 person/1 income works harder to make ends meet but gets less than 2 people/2 incomes?

We don't have a monarchy here, sister. Although with King George and his cronies at the throne, it sure does seem that way, huh, Princess?

First let me say this..I spent 24 yrs as a CNA and loved my career. It wasn't just a job to me..That being said I lived in Tenn. till Feb.2001. The pay in Tn. is much lower than here in Fl. so I was making 6.75 an hour, then we moved here and my pay went to 9.26hr, and I thought "wo" I am going to finally have money left over after the bills are paid. However that didn't last long, because in Aug.2001 I was in an accident that left me disabled and on disablitly..I now get 649.00 a month..Now you try raising 2 kids on this..I don't recieve any assistances, other than they made me take medicare which I had to pay for as well as my the  quarterly premium on my other insurance..I got married in May 2005, my husband is Retired after 25 yrs in Military. We make less than 70,000 a yr. So I think those of you that make over 200,000 or 250,000 should be thankful you have this kind of money..My kids have gone the past 8 yrs with nothing but a $10.00 gift under the tree at Christmas time..Can any of you imagine how that makes me feel, not being able to give them Barbie dolls, etc.I feel like such a failure to them..I am expecting my firsy grandchild in Oct. so here again I will feel like a complete failure because I can't provide her with "all" the things she really needs..There are "NO" programs that just give you things anymore.My 18 yr old daughter can't get WIC because she lives at home, and still in school..Because of this they say I am responsible for her needs. Yea I know good and darn well tat I am responsible for her needs, but I sure as the heck wasn't responsible for this accident that took the use of my body from me to the point I have to rely on others for my daily care, etc.. I guess they would rather her live on the street, and then she could get assistance..The baby's father can't find work right now, so it is left up to me to see that my dauhter & grand daughter will be well taken care of, now isn't that a laugh..Ha Ha! Count your blessings up there American Princess..You could be down here in the gutter with the lower class people..I worked hard "ALL" my life and I am proud of that..My parents taught us to be thankful for life "no" matter how hard it gets..I thank God every day that I am alive..I have been in 3 coma's, had a stroke during one of them..I have to have a machine do my breathing for me..While I was lying on my back unable to move 2 months after my accident my father died of cancer. I lied there and cried because I didn't get to tell him goodbye or go to Tn. to be with my Mother and siblings..Life seemed very grim at that point, but then I could hear my father say "God never gives us more than we can bear" I live my life depending on him to make sure that my kids are fed and clothed..They have had to live off of clothes from second hand stores since 2001, but they are loved, fed, and warm in the winter..Our house will be paid off in 3 more yrs "I hope"..Or maybe I'll get lucky & be able to win the lottery someday..Hard to win though if you can't buy the ticket..I don't want anyones pity, I just want you to be thankful you have these things..Yes I could have had them, but it didn't so there's no sense in crying about it..I do know "if" it hadn't been for my boyfriend, who is now my husband taking care of me for 5 yrs before we got married I wouldn't be here today..He moved in took over my daily care, gave me my medicine,etc, made sure my kids were fed,etc..Even now on our income we pay taxes, federal, state and local because that is the law, not because we have 200,000 or more lying around every yr..The rich get richer & the poor get poorer..Simple as that..I was getting ready to go backk to school when I when I was in that accident..So excuse me if I don't feel sorry for the rich that have 250,000 or more in their pockets..All the drunks should have their license revoked to but they don't..Nothing in life is easy, nor is it free. There is always a catch at the end..I also know that McCain will be far worse than Obama, and that is hard for me to admit because I am a Republican..

Life is an itch, just deal with it..

How ironic.

If Mrs. Obama had been taxed at this rate while she was working she never would have been able to support Mr. Obama's run for office.

Jane Becker

http://thedamedomain.blogspot.com

Gee, Princess, I really weep for you... NOT! However, in Sen. Obama's shoes, I'd have taken a slightly different tack in addressing tax reform. Because the biggest problem facing our country, in addition to the deficit and the Wall Street giveaway we'll all be paying for to save the hides of those responsible for the mortgage debacle, our biggest problem is the looming Social Security crisis.

As a 60-year-old who started paying into the System at the ripe old age of 14, I obviously have a dog in this race. By the time I was 18, I realized there was no Social Security Trust and that my generation would be lucky to see anything, on an inflation adjusted basis, comparable to what we paid in. So, here's a proposal for Senator Obama.

Social Security is due us. However, it should not raise the rates of our middle-class children and grandchildren. Instead, it should affect those who pay the least (on a percentage basis) and earn the most. If I recall correctly, last year's cap was $110K. What that amounts to as a percentage of income for someone who earned $1 million is NOT the 8% of income most of us pay. In fact, it was 0.088%!!! Furthermore, the more you pay in, the more you're entitled to in benefits payments when you retire.

Now, wouldn't it make more sense if: (1) all Social Security recipients received the SAME payment amount? (2) all persons who paid into the system and did not exceed a REASONABLE yearly amount (which, despite astronomical increases in living costs has not changed in eons!) from other sources would get full benefits; and (3) ALL job compensation were taxed at the same percentage? After all, if a nurse's aide, a bus driver, or a teacher can afford 8% of every dime they make, certainly the doctors, lawyers, and CEOs of large corporations wouldn't miss it half as much as they do. And, by the way, when I say ALL JOB COMPENSATION, I mean the half-price stock options a lot of them get, often for VERY shoddy job performance, too! This would help balance the picture for both women and those without whose services we couldn't survive as a society, but whose contribution to it is poorly compensated!

And since we know the government would raid the "trust", it would also enable us to kill off Bush's deficit in something short of a millennium witihout dumping it at the door of those can least afford it and had virtually nothing to do with its existence. Let's transfer some responsibility to those who caused our predicament for a change!

Single, as a divorcee from a fairly brief marriage who decided never to fall into that trap again, and a mother of 0 children, early on I felt the same way you do. But 25+ years working in educational publishing changed my views PRONTO!

Because I was fluent in Spanish (not my first language, by the way) I spent 15 years working for a major U.S. math and science publisher that had a highly successful Latin American subsidiary, whose manuscripts I edited here in the States before their release to production (mainly because our Latin American translators and editors often didn't understand the original English version well enough to catch crucial errors!).

Among our company's best-selling titles was a 3-book college-level physics series, late in its third edition when I began work there in 1972. Two years later, the 4th edition landed in my lap, piece by piece. Imagine my surprise when, during one of our meetings, a central question from the Latin Americans was whether or not we should bother to publish it at all when sales were expected to be so low! Why? The first two volumes were then being used in many of the best universities in the U.S. at the undergrad  Physics major level, and the third at postgrad level (although initially, all 3 volumes had fallen into the undergrad category). Guess what the answer was? At that time, the Latin American sales reps could sell the first volume only at the HIGH SCHOOL level! And they needed a 3-level series for university undergrads that went well beyond the scope that the new edition would cover. I can tell you that, presently, that divergence is even wider, and NOT in our favor!

This really wasn't news to any of us. Anyone who's worked in educational publishing and is over 50 can tell you just how much our educational system has been dumbed down. The result? A populace that reads less, understands less, and is less capab;e of absorbing the meaning of what's going on around them is far less likely to interfere with the status quo at election time, and far more susceptible to smears, innuendo, and pandering during the campaign.

So, while I hate taxes as much as you, I've long sense abandoned the thought that I have no responsibility to help educate other people's kids. Because I don't want to keep on living with the results of an ill-informed populace that persists in electing the lowest common denominator to our highest public offices. They are far more costly to us in the long run if they are ill-equipped to vote for the kind of leadership we so desperately need!

If $250K is "not uncommon" as you say for two college grads, what exactly do you think the percentage is in this country of married college graduates’ annual salary being above a combined $250K?  If you believe it is not uncommon, I think that you need a reality check.  You appear to contradict yourself and undermine your premise by beginning the hypothetical “what if you're a successful woman, or even just a marginally well-paid one, who, alone makes a very nice salary…”  with the term “successful” or “well-paid."  If they are considered successful, then they are not as common as you think.  Again, I ask you to consider the percentage of people who make over $250,000.00 per year versus the percentage of people who make less.  (And I’m talking about a lot less than even $125,000.00 per year).  Please, don’t rest your entire argument on a premise that is essentially flawed.  

 I have heard most of the arguements about a flat tax, but really, it is the fairest way to go. Just think of all of the money we could save by shutting down most of the IRS. But if we go with a flat tax and no deductions, it would save a lot of paperwork, time, and perhaps put a major dent in the sale of pain relievers. I hope that more people see these comments and think about what Obama really stands for, well, leans for, think leftest. Sadly most of the problems with our government will not be fixed any time soon, due to too many people being greedy and no one willing to "bite the bullet". Even worse, for some reason, way too  many people want that hand-out, and will not help anyone else.

Some politicians have been using class envy forever to further tax the rich.

The true data shows that the top 1% of taxpayers pay 39.9% of all federal taxes, but they show just 22% of the income on tax returns.

The top 5% pay 60.1% of all federal taxes, but show just 36.7% of the income.

 The bottom 50% of taxpayers pay only 3% of the total tax, and many tax filers actually have a NEGATIVE tax because of the earned income tax credit (or federal welfare which is actually what that is).

A raise of any taxes hurts all of us because it takes money out of circulation, and the wealthy can't buy as many goods or hire more people.  It just makes bigger government.

These statistics come from IRS from the latest year available, 2006.  If you don't believe it check www.irs.gov.

I am a tax preparer, not one of the evil wealthy

Wow, I think I might be the only person on here who supports what  American Princess has to say.  For those of you talking about the money spent in Iraq, don't act like it wouldn't be added to our national debt anyway, the liberals would have just found something else just as worthless at home to spend it on. For you who ask why anyone needs to make that much money, its called quality of life and reward for your hard work.  Its called Capitalism.  You people are Communists, talking about being happy to donate money to the government.  "Honored to share my wealth"? Great, then donate to charity, not your government.  Paying for roads and all that is wonderful, but your excessive taxes also go to wasteful spending and government agencies that trample on our civil rights, like the BATFE.  Obama believes in wealth redistribution, and that's Marxism.  Who was one of the first to come up with the idea of a progressive income tax, like we now have, thanks to FDR (so much for what he said about the income tax being "temporary")? That's right kids, it was Karl Marx.

Everyone is excited about Obama because he's all about "change, hope, and the future" but no one is really looking at what this guy believes in.  Many of his earliest influences had a Marxist/Communist bent.  Obama has been linked to William Ayers, a member of the Weather Underground who bombed the Pentagon in the seventies.  Yes, you want change, but is the change that Obama believes in going to be good for this country?  Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.

Vote Libertarian!

To Pretty Lady:  If Danes are the happiest people on earth, why is their suicide rate so high? (23rd in the world with 30.4 suicides per 100,00, France is 16 with 24.1, USA is 30 with 19.8)

To Christine, Frog in North Georgia: Feel free to take 3 years for maternity leave like your cousins do in France. Just don't ask others to pay for it.  As far as invention, innovation, and developement: Its  not coming from France due to their poor work ethic and dependence on the government dole.

McCain's negative campaigning, and Obama's reluctance to engage in same frustrates the heck out of me.

I ran into this blog (on Blogher.com) written by a seemingly irate lady that was stewing about those over $250,000 reverting to the pre-Bush tax rates ( i.e. having to pay more) should Obama become President.    What blew me away was that 95 - 98% of the responders reacted negatively to her comments.    Most claimed to be making more than $250,000, and quite willing to pay more if it helps America's less fortunate.   http://www.blogher.com/dont-be-married-and-successful

For some reason, Obama can not seem to get the message to the American people that he intends to lower taxes on those making less than $250,000 while having those making more than $250,000 revert to the pre-Bush tax rate of $39%.   McCain keeps harping that Obama is going to raise taxes, but he (Obama) is only going to do so by letting the pre-Bush tax cuts lapse for the top 4% (those making over %250,000).    Obama needs to drive this nail into McCain's heart!    Good article on the differences in the Obama/McCain tax plans:   http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/1031268,CST-NWS-tax30.article

The non-partisan source for info on the Obama/McCain tax plans:  http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/

Mahalo, chet

USMA'81

PS    May Bush and his cronies rot in hell for the needless deaths of so many of our soldiers and of the innocent Iraqis during the invasion and occupation of Iraq.   And may God bless our soldiers wherever they may be.

You try it!!

Seriously, where do you people live?  Because making 250K and living in or anyplace near Manhattan, you are merely middle class.  If you don't believe me, consider the fact that a 1 bedroom apartment in manhattan - a luxurious 700 sq feet of living space - is roughly 1.2 million dollars.  So you tell me if I am a young person who is not independetly wealthy, with no financial support from my parents, whose 1 bdrm rent is 3K a month - how I am ever supposed to afford a down payment for a home? I can't.   And if I am lucky enough to find the perfect man and our combined income is now 250K, after taking 54% out and assuming we are not complete hermits, it wll take probably at least 6 years for the down payment.  Then by the time we pay for the wedding and save up enough money to buy a place with an extra bedroom for the baby, too late, no baby - I've already hit menopause. 

I am married and 29 years old.  My husband is roughly the same age.  We are both college educated, work on wall st, and make roughly 500k a year.  I would love to be a stay at home mom and pop out a few rugrats - but frankly, I can't afford it.  Don't be niave in assuming we had priveleged upbringings - my husband is a refugee who came here not knowing a word of english and I've been known to work 14+ hour days for months at a time.  We got to where we are today by having good parental role models, working hard, being ambitious, and having some degree of luck.  But even at this level of income, it took years for us to be able to afford what is considered to be an average home within a 45 minute radius of Manhattan.  I pay roughly 10K a year in school taxes although I have no children.  I pay all of my social security to the govt although I have a business degree and I know I won't see it later in my life.  I pay the highest premium for health & dental insurance to make the burden less on those less fortunate although I'm healthy as an ox.   So please tell me something... I have been working hard since I've been 16...when I have a child am I not entitled to more than 3 months off of work to enjoy my child?? If things are so easy for all people who make 250K +, then why have all of my friends my age moved to the south? 

My point is that salary is all relative - relative to location, the cost of living, age, and many other factors. Only people who can live off of their interest are truly rich.  What lefty's don't seem to get is that the vast majority of people's living situations when making over 250K is vastly different than those of the "rich".

I do believe paying taxes is a civil responsibility, and I am glad to pay taxes.  But get real people.  It is also a civil responsibility to expect all people to work, support themselves, and achieve things in life.  All of the tax money in the world cannot truly change a person's attitude or upbringing - which are large determinants in life.  And only a very small percentage of people in this country are truly in need - those that have had terrible misfortune, have mental illness, etc.   I get it - and I'm fine with picking up the check for that.  But the vast majority of people in this country are complacent, lazy, unambitious, and expectant. You say no - then why do I see the same five people begging on the same corners every day?   Are they too proud to go work at McDonald's?  Get a job.  For christ's sake, can I get the extra job?  On top of all of the societal delinquents I have to worry about paying for, and the children I don't ever have to worry about being able to have, I do have that $800 a month car payment to cover, after all...

It's amazing to me to hear that we should be penalized for being successful and be asked to pay for programs for people who sit at home and collect unemployment. Granted their are many people affected by the community they grow up in and are not put in the best circumstances but the majority of the people are just lazy and look for ways to put the blame on other people.  My wife and I make a combined 260K to 280K annually as we are both sales professionals.  We are paid in bonuses which means we are paid for performance you don't sell you make no money and are fired.  We earn our money and already pay 50% in taxes.  This tax increase will put us over 60% and cause us to pay almost 30K more a year in taxes or $2500 a month.  I do not know where you live but I live in NJ just outside of new York City with my wife and 14 month old daughter.  After taxes we are at about 10-12K per month in income with bills totaling almost 9k a month.  This tax increase would cause us not to be able to live in our home, pay our bills and not to be able to save money on a regular basis for our future and our children.  Does that make sense?  Does that sound fair?  I pay for some person who sits on teh couch all day and collects unemployment and never looks for a job??  If My taxes are increased that much than I want free health care and free ducation for my children.  In Holland they pay 70% taxes but all the healthcare and education is free.  I earn my money and work 50-60 hours a week to ensure I make the money I do.  I do it because i want things in life and I want my family to enjoy thgings and be able to go on a vacation.   This tax increase would cause me to live check to check and I do not work this hard to do that.  I did not come from the greatest of areas and came from a lower class family background but I worked and made something of myself so I do not want to hear people are not given fair chances.  You make your own chances... I worked all thorugh college to pay for my education and was not handed anything.  Where do all our taxes go now?  I pay 50% taxes, we consistently increase tolls and every day our country is raising some other item.... where is that money going?   Maybe i should just slack off and not make so much money and just add to the laziness of this country where all we have is people looking for handouts and expecting people to hand them things.