250K Tax Takeaways

Hi, here for a quick Catholic Cappuccino as I am listening to "Going My Way" on Catholic Tv.org (what a fun cute show!).

I read on "Busted Halo"
this quote:

BH: President Elect Obama has promised no increase in taxes
for 95 percent of the population, but an increase in taxes for the
wealthiest members of our country. What is your opinion on this
potential policy?

Do I think those that make $250,000 or more should have their tax
cuts expire that Mr. Bush put into place? Yes, because those who do
well and have more than they need, have a responsibility to care for
those who don’t. Does it mean that some people may get hand outs who
don’t deserve it? Yes, but on the whole most people receiving aid need
that help and as a society, we should care for them. — J. Michael Brown

JMB: Do I think those that make $250,000 or more
should have their tax cuts expire that Mr. Bush put into place? Yes,
because those who do well and have more than they need, have a
responsibility to care for those who don’t. Does it mean that some
people may get hand outs who don’t deserve it? Yes, but on the whole
most people receiving aid need that help and as a society, we should
care for them.

I was wondering what you think of John Michael Brown's reply.

As a Christian, of course, we NEED to care for the needy. To me, that is a "gimme" as we say.

But, I don't think it needs to come from a person making 250k.

250K may sound like "a lot" of money...but...my thoughts on it are this:

1) They applied themselves in life and worked hard to pay for an education and sacrificed "partying" for studying...which is hard for a young person. Disciplined himself.

2) This person making 250K may have a stay at home wife and many children. It's odd how we are so willing to take from his large family (he has many kids to feed and educate and car for and buy cars for and help with University for)...when he deliberately took this path that took lots of "sacrifice" of his younger life to finally reach 250k in salary.

3) His wife may not be working...so an individual who works making 150K a year would not be taxed or thought of as "rich" (or, if it were a gay "couple" that would be 300 a year w/o any tax cuts, not thought of as "rich")....but this man, married, makes less than that 150k person who is single and will have to take the hit...although the single man has hardly any expense compared to this married man of a large family (in said example). Families are costly. Education for them is costly. Cars are costly (not like when we were young). Homes are costly. 250k does not go that far for a single maker of it with a large family...there seems to be no thought of that. The person making 250k a year perhaps had in mind all along to work and study hard so he could get a good job to support a large family and have their mother be at home.

4) This is America which runs on capitalism. A person is allowed to dream and work hard and be rewarded. He should not be limited if people are willing to pay him.

5) The Poor SHOULD be taken care of and their needs. This is true.

6) America is only like 6 percent of the earth's citizen's yet consumes like 40 percent of everything. That is NOT good.

7) There are very bad governments out there as well that live rich (at the top leadership) and let their people live in squalor and take funding/food from our country and sell it for themselves or whatever, but the poor do NOT get it. That is not good.

8) People have to learn that you need to work hard and earn your way "By the sweat of your brow"...nowhere does it state you get a free ride for life. In fact, that takes away the dignity and nobility of man. Sitting around young & healthy waiting for a check in the mail is wrong.

9) Those who studied and were responsible people, sacrificing much to get their education and career going should not be penalized for those who wish to be more bummy and just party and be "Peter Panny" and not grow up...ie: those who wish to "try their hand at becoming a rock star" and just live barely day by day just drinking, getting high, sex, and rock and roll. These latter should have to take the hit for their choice...not the one who bypassed that (even if they wanted to do that) and decided to be serious students and work hard and put themselves through school and work HARD at work and travel and do whatever it takes at work to do a great job and be rewarded for it financially.

10) Many of those at the "top" of the big American countries get paid way too much in their packages. So many leave their positions (for whatever reasons) with untold millions upon millions...even if they brought their company DOWN and forced layoffs and job pay cuts. That is materialism and greed at its worse and completely wrong. There is a level of working hard and getting paid well and just sheer greed (more $$ than you even assist your company). These need to be toned WAY down.

11) Greed really exists at the top top of companies (CEO's, CFO's,etc). Most every single one does NOT need a private jet. First class will do. I worked for the airlines and many times came across tickets for a "Kennedy" that was traveling not only on a regular airline, but coach class!

12) We need to address the GREED (like the car company exec's who want the government to give them welfare and yet they don't change a thing: the still fly in private jets and go to fancy places and do fancy things costing $$$ and not doing anything personal to reduce as they ask their employees to do...or to aid in not killing their company and countless employees livelihoods.).

13) We do need ALWAYS and EVERYWHERE address the poor. I just don't feel that a person making just 250k should have to take the hit and have the government take his money by force and give it to others.

So, anyhow, those are just a few thoughts I had on it. I am against it. We have a lot of bums that are HEALTHY and do NOT work. I personally know some who are in their 30's and are still living a pretty bummy life...never going to college or giving their future a thought...they just like to party and "be cool" and "hang" with friends. I think it would be injustice to take from the opposite sort of fellow who sacrificed, chose to be responsible and worked from the bottom up to get to his 250k level in his 40's perhaps to have to carry the dead weight of the bum. As for the poor and their needs and their medical needs....world over this needs to be addressed...ALL countries are bad here and America is not the worst...but she still needs to do something to care for our honest poor, our sick poor and see they have the basics that every human should have: food, shelter, clothing, education, a place to live...but I think we need to find a better way to address it other than zapping the good citizens. Tap perhaps into the GREEDY ones. There's a huge difference between 250k or even 500k a year and those making millions upon millions upon millions....like those who die and leave 20 million to their cat and not a living breathing poor soul....not to build a water well for the thirsty in Africa...etc. President elect Obama is going to the White House from a 2million dollar home...that is not "normal" in America..that is not a "normal" family..that is a RICH family. He, up to this time, never had anyone take from his paycheck and he even worked deals w/ friends to obtain a little more land by his home that he couldn't afford the entire parcel of....VP elect Biden was said to be super stingy up until VERY recently giving (per official records) only like 100.00 a year in donations! Your typical poor American Christian family does more than that per year.

Anyhow, those were a few thoughts I had while reading about that on "Busted Halo".

What do you think on it? Helping the poor is a big subject. It must be done, but at the same time, it must be done justly.

Your thoughts?