Gene Wolfe's Politics

brunians at brunians.org · 28 Mar 2009, 05:08 · from 2009-March.txt.gz

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From: brunians at brunians.org (brunians at brunians.org)
Date: Sat, 28 Mar 2009 01:08:58 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: (urth) Gene Wolfe's Politics
In-Reply-To: <C5F2F8A9.91E8%ishmael at drizzle.com>
References: <C5F2F8A9.91E8%ishmael at drizzle.com>
Message-ID: <4673.67.142.130.32.1238216938.squirrel at brunians.org>

>> Some quick statistics: The top 1% of earners pay 21.20% of all taxes
>> paid at an average rate of 24%, the top 2 - 5% of earners pay 14.55% of
>> all taxes at an average of 18% (Top 5% pay @36% of all tax) The bottom
>> 50% pay 3% of all tax collected at an average rate of 2.98%.

> And these facts, divorced from the numbers that explain how much the
> people in the various income brackets earn or own, mean what exactly?

It means that the wealthiest 1% of Americans account for 21.20% of public
moneys, the next 4% account for another 15% or so, and the bottom half of
taxpayers account for 3%.

What is hard to understand about this? Why should it matter how much an
individual 'earns or owns'? Is robbery OK as long as your victim is much
wealthier than you?

I mean, I know that most Americans actually *do* think that robbery is OK
if their victims are sufficiently wealthy and the crime itself is
committed with all due show of legality, but most won't admit it: I admire
David Stockhoff, who admits that he not only wants to rob the rich, but
also wants to murder them. Hardly anyone is so honest these days.

.

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