Re: Obama XII: The shine is off the glass slipper
Exactly the response I was looking for.
Are you trying to tell us that 'the rich' (not that you exactly said you were) are people who work, possibly with two incomes, don't begrudge paying a higher amount of taxes than many others and are willing to contribute to society vs. hoard their money, empty their pipes upon the heads of young urchins and try to hide in tax loopholes while sailing on their yacht etc. Seems many on here disagree with you.
So you are telling me that all people who make above average incomes are not trying to declare class warfare on the poor...funny, if I go back and read the comments over the last several days it doesn't seem like that is the sentiment on this board.
Not sure what other factors you are referring to but you do point out that a huge contribution is a result of the individual's doing, not some grand conspiracy to siphon money out of the pockets of the 'working family'. Funny, seems you are a working family.
I pay plenty in taxes, contribute to charity, invest money to help companies grow and hire people and pay salaries, try to set a good example, save for the future, maintain ratios of spending to income, don't feel I should apologize if my investments earn me incremental income and try to teach my kids the value of an education and of a dollar.
There is no doubt that if you make more than the average you'll pay more in taxes. Nobody really 'likes' paying taxes, it is a requirement for the common good but anybody would like to pay less.
My post was in response to what sounded to me like a sense of entitlement to your income, as if taking another 3-4% was nothing, in my opinion implying you deserve to be taxed more.
I disagree. I bear no animosity, nor spite, towards those who make more than I. As you pointed out, by and large, they earn it. And as you point out, if anything is ever said about paying taxes, it gets turned into not wanting to pay anything which, aside from wanting to pay less just like anybody else, is a great way to continue to paint 'the rich' as a selfish bunch of millionaires.
How often have you heard 'the rich' described as a dual income family that does owe it to their own effort and feels that they owe it to society to pay more? How often are they described as people who started out with little and, maybe with some luck, have achieved the part of the american dream related to trying to do 'better'. That doesn't have to be money, but I rarely hear anyone say they'd like to earn less money.
My issue is that in an effort to get people to rationalize not cutting government spending, they have demonized 'the rich' and convinced a fair amount of people that you aren't what you described and there shouldn't be a thought about taking more from you before we seek to save it elsewhere.
That in and of itself is one thing, that we are creating a division between 'the rich' and everybody else concerns me more. Sure there has always been and economic separation, but as you point out, most of the rich earn the money through work and they shouldn't be held out as what is wrong with america.
Nor should we cavalierly decide that they can afford it and take more from them instead of conserving what is spent...that message, "it is fine to take more from people who work to earn an above average living because they can afford it" is not a good long term strategy and while it is one thing for folks on here to moan about it, we hear it from the president as well. He campaigned against people who earn more than what he deems is 'fair', do you think that line of fairness will go up or down over time?
What incentive is there to cut government spending if it is classified as tax cuts for the rich and sold to the majority as "they can afford it"?
Anybody above the 51st percentile better be nervous if that is our decision making criteria.
It's the Socialism!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111! 
