Monday, November 10, 2008
Transcending greed.
American-style capitalism operates on the premise that greed is good. That everyone should have the right to get as rich as they want. Millionaires. Billionaires. Trillionaires. Yes, that's greed. I think that there should be a limit. That at some point, the rich should be required to share their wealth. Such as paying more taxes. For the sake of the common good. Call it socialism if you want. I call it the right thing. I think it's a virtue to not want to get monetarily rich. Oh, it's nice to live comfortably. But it doesn't have to be extravagantly. And it'd be nice if we had programs that more or less guaranteed virtually all citizens the basic necessities of life. So that nobody lives in poverty. And so that if one needs health care, one gets it, under a universal health care plan. Yes, things like that. I'm hoping that's where we are headed in the 21st century. A better, more equal sharing of the wealth. So there's less of a gap between the monetarily rich and the poor. And I want everybody to have an opportunity to obtain a good education. Because knowledge/learning is a unique richness that far transcends monetary greed. --Jim Broede
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I don't think that there should be a limit on the amount of money that a person is capable of making...but...I do think that those who earn the most should pay proportionally higher taxes than those earning less. Requiring that is not Socialism.
The Federal Income Tax was initially set up as a progressive tax. (The amount of taxes paid increases as the amount of earnings increase). Unfortunately the system has 'morphed' until it has become almost unmanageable. Tax deductions and tax shelters are more easy for someone with a great deal of money to take advantage of and set up than someone earning a small amount of money. Giving money away to a 'pet' project or cause does not necessarily do as much good as paying it in taxes where it could be used for public programs.
Knowing how to read is the key to acquiring a good education. Unfortunately...Our current educational system appears to be falling short of this goal. It is estimated that approximately 73 percent of the US population is functionally illiterate.
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