There Is Class Warfare Going On In America

I don't want to say it.  I'll be burned at the stake by the right wing nutjobs and newly enlightened Tea Partiers.

A very rich man says it.  Warren Buffett.

Mr. Buffett compiled a data sheet of the men and women who work in his office. He had each of them make a fraction; the numerator was how much they paid in federal income tax and in payroll taxes for Social Security and Medicare, and the denominator was their taxable income. The people in his office were mostly secretaries and clerks, though not all.

It turned out that Mr. Buffett, with immense income from dividends and capital gains, paid far, far less as a fraction of his income than the secretaries or the clerks or anyone else in his office. Further, in conversation it came up that Mr. Buffett doesn’t use any tax planning at all. He just pays as the Internal Revenue Code requires. “How can this be fair?” he asked of how little he pays relative to his employees. “How can this be right?”

Even though I agreed with him, I warned that whenever someone tried to raise the issue, he or she was accused of fomenting class warfare.

“There’s class warfare, all right,” Mr. Buffett said, “but it’s my class, the rich class, that’s making war, and we’re winning.”

Yet, I've heard from many sources that the top 5% of wage earners pay upwards of 65% of the taxes...

Starwink, whats a guy like buffett know? Heres a very rich man saying the little guy is getting screwed by the rich guys, but the right wingers being as brain washed as they are will defned the rich guys and say buffett is full of crap.

I will never understand why the right wingers we have on this site, will defend the rich guy even thou they arent rich themselves is mind boggling to me.

More crybabies who didn't work hard enough in school asking for more handouts.  Like a previous poster stated, 5% of wage earners pay 65% of taxes.  If it weren't for them you would have no military, no roads, no police, no schools... so seriously stop crying.

It's not fair until it hurts, until they start to leave the country, and bring their companies with them.  Its not fair until they pay 99% of their income. 

Creating wealth is not a right. It is a skill, not everyone was born with it. 

Just as I can not expect to make millions playing basketball, or picking stocks like Buffett, I do not expect the rewards that go with it.

this everyone wins bullshit mentality is seriously watering down the vitality and competitiveness that made this country great. 
I am sorry that people have to be poor, I am sorry that Joe SixPack has to wake up a 6 and work 100hrs a week, but this is the land of opportunity.

I may feel different if I am older and have not made anything of myself, and I see how it is possible to slip into the victim mentality, but do not kid yourself that the opportunities in this country are vast, and available for anyone with the stones to go out there and get what they are worth.

I am still waiting for all of the liberal billionaire/millionaires to start coughing up their money.  Why doesn't Oprah cough up 800-900 million dollars?  She could get by on 100 million don't you think?  How about Ellen?  How about Matt Damon?  How about Baldwin?  Affleck?  Bon Jovi?  Kanye West?  And why doesn't Warren Buffet share some of his money with the less fortunate.  And I am not talking about a 1 or 2 million dollar contribution... because that is like the common guy giving $10 to a charity.  

# correction.

I may feel different if I am older and have not made anything of myself, and I see how it is possible to slip into the victim mentality, but do not kid yourself that the opportunities in this country are not vast, and available for anyone with the stones to go out there and get what they are worth.

Hey Star and CD.  If we eliminate the Income tax and transition to a national flat tax, then Buffet will be paying more than his secretary.  She won't be paying any income taxes and he will still be paying his cap gains taxes.

 

buffet and his crooked derivatives trading

bwat if hes rich hes must bees so smart, specially when he says sumting i is agrees with

 

Cd...there is brain washing going on...just not to the same peeps you think.

By your way of thinking since you're of the thought process that right wingers hate the working class because we are mostly anti-union....well you must hate children and grand children because you wan't to make their wages less by forcing them to pay for benefits and retirement for someone that has been dead for 10 years.

Rick, do you even hear yourself?  Your sitting here defending the rich corporations who are making billions and billions and not paying their fair share in taxes like the rest of us are. Why are you defending these corporations?  Because you are afraid they will pack up and lave if they have to pay their fair share? Well heres a thought, let these fucking companies pack up and leave and then when they want to bring their product back here to sell, tax the crap out of them, watch how fast they bring their companies back and decide its better to pay our people and take a little less profit. On top of that let new companies be formed, that arent person and want it all for themselves.

I just dont understand some of you and never will. Nobody is asking for companies last 2 cents, just let thnem pay their fiar share like all of us do each day, thats all.

You were right CD. 

They said Buffett is full of crap and has no idea what he's talking about.  Some even said the rich are going to leave the country and take their money with them too. 

These guys really think they are right. 

 

This coming from the silver spoon fed kid, now thats friggin funny 100x rollerIf it wasnt for daddy, you wouldnt be attending a great college and instead would be spending your days working at a fast food joint.

So if you work for the public you dont take pride and earn your check everyday?  I guess these people just get to stay home and have their checks mailed to them, without having to work for them. I know only pharmacists like yourself are the true workers in our country

You know what i dont understand, what is it exactly these right wingers want? Do they want public workers not having a pension, medical insurance and working for 5 bucks an hour? Is this what would make them happy?  Or do they just not want a govt and not want to pay for any type of public services?  I just dont get it?

Its like some of these guys want to go backwards in time and want no public services.  Maybe we can all go back to going down to the lake, getting our water and then coming home and boiling it.

Really what is it these right wing nut jobs want?

cd - define fair share

20%? 35%? what's fair?

buffett has all of his wealth in tax free trusts. F him

where do pension funds invest their money?

do you guys know how rich the evil banksters have gotten of your pension funds? while you lose money?

First off am not defending Buffett because all these rich guys democrat or republican are skating the laws and getting away paying nothing, leaving all of us to pay for everything.

Their all dirtbags in my opinion. there isnt a rich guy out there who didnt basically cheat to create their fortunes.

Whats a fair share, i dont know thats why probably some form of flat tax would equalize it out for everybody.  This i dont know the answer to, but i do know when i see that 85 percent of the corproations in our country pay zero taxes, something is wrong. When i see exxon making 40 billion in profits and paying zero taxes, something is wrong.

It's all a moot point.  You have discredited Warren Buffett.  You have proven the man has no standing to discuss economics or tax policy.

Well done right wingers!!! 

So what is it all you right wingers want?

Should we get rid of all public employees and not have anymore govt services.

Please tell me exactly what it is you guys want?

 

On another note:

Busting unions in the public sector is only gonna hurt the workers in the private sector in the long run. Take the blinders off

FDR was right.  And it pains me to say that.  He was absolutely right to be against public unions. 
Servants of the public have no business organizing against the public. 
Strikes and labor disputes end up in deaths,  we saw it this winter.  Tell that ladies grandchildren that she deserved to die, because public workers were trying to make a point by intentionally not clearing roads.  That should go over well.

On the overall topic. You guys are crazy.  CORPORATIONS ARE CORRUPT,  you do not stop corruption through taxation , you stop it through enforcing laws and reforming govt.  Throw the corrupt guys in jail and cease their money if it makes you happy. There is your tax revenue. 

Why should we return to the outright theft with a higher tax rate.

There is no reason that any man woman or child should have to pay any more or less for this country. No reason.

And you act like we are arguing for Bernie Maddoff to get tax breaks.
NO that is not the case

WE are arguing for the DR. that took out hundreds of thousands in loans to put himself through school to make a great life for himself. He should be taxed at no higher rate than a guy that shovels dirt.
Yet he pays a full 25% more of his income.
The doctor that saves lives and put his heart and soul into his profession, has a higher percentage liability to the Federal Govt.
FOR WHAT????? 
the sin of ambition?
the crime of success?

Gov. and local municipalities should be able to set the salaries and contributions for the health care and pensions of union members. The way it works now is corrupt and ineffective. 

We need our public workers, and they should be offered good pay and benefits, but if it is not enough then they should seek greener pastures not spend billions from their pensions  on campaigns so they get their pay raises, tax exemptions, and benefit goodies through the rule of law, because their collective bargaining raises didn't pan out.

That is corruption CD, how is that different than any corrupt corporation?