I vote for shoveling more money to wealthy people -- that's the Ammurikan way!

Can you imagine the current Bush tax cuts existing during World war Two? We'd have lost the war. Of course, Bush and Cheney didn't really care that they started two non funded wars. They aren't patriotic to anything but money and power.
And the same for their have and have more base, the base that has stolen from America to enrich themselves while the rest of us get stuck up through legalized theft! I'm all for jacking up the tax rates on these un-American thieves. And if they don't like it, yank their corporate charters. Send them off the Russia, a place even more corporately crooked than here!

"A comprehensive and very public audit of where all that money has been going since, say, 1981 might take a chunk out of the debt problem all by itself. "

We had this audit going on 9/10/2001, the next day was 9/11. How will the DOD react the next time?

PREcisely. I am having made a bumper sticker that simply says "Tax the Rich."

Number 6 is startlingly frank, Dave pulls no punches and it is refreshing to read this guy: Clear, eloquent, reasonable, BOOOM!

As regards corporate taxes: the present corporate income tax is an invitation to fraud and a tax lawyer relief act. We can put half the lawyers in this country out of business by junking it and replacing it with a corporate wealth tax. Each corporation would file a short annual return declaring its fair market value and pay a tax on that amount. No deductions, no shelters, nothing. If Bill Gates declared Microdirt worth $5, then the Congress could buy it at that amount, so corporate bureaucrats would have an incentive to be honest. And the tax could be graduated, zero on the first $100 million, say, 1% from there to a billion, 2% from there to $10 billion, 3% to $100 billion, and 4% after that. What's the value of all the corporations in the US? This would raise a lot of money...

As Willie Stark could say, this country may have a lot of poor people in it but it isn't a poor country.

I'd like to add that we all should start contacting the D.C. jerks and tell them we are carefully monitoring their current actions and will certainly be heavily involved in the political campaigns in two years. And maybe do this communication any number of times because I'm betting they don't keep track of such items since they come from us common folk.

However, I believe the entire system is now owned by the rich and corporations (who essentially fund the rich) and I wish us good luck in getting any kind of financial justice out of them. So the only solution is to vote a whole lot of these assholes back to unemployment lines back in their homes of origin. That would, in theory, be a nice sight!

Thanks to pple like Erich Von Freemason the world is in this s.....

thanks for getting the truth out.

when I became disabled, I wandered through the "shelter system" for two years before my number came up for temporary housing and then it was another three years before I was allowed to rent a unit specifically for the disabled homeless woman I had become. The only thing I did not lose was my sense of entitlement. I am about to move to regular housing through the phantom program called section 8 for people who are living at the 75% below poverty income level. I have been on the waitlist for 6 years. Once I have finally moved out f the homeless system - and have shaken off the stigma - I hope to write a book about what it was like to live at the bottom of a deep deep well with no rope to climb up and out to safety.

Methinks folks here often don't get irony when they hear it. Methinks Eric vonFreemason was being ironic — at least I hope so!

The only times in our long history when jobs were plentiful, was in times of higher taxation and high union power. Salaries always rose, those with some savings were able to have an income sans buying stocks and jobs grew almost as fast as income was spent or invested.

If they raised Interest rates to 5%-10%, several trillions of income would go to those who had savings, because with that extra income they invest, pay off debts, start small Businesses, invest in land, structures and buy goods.

Raise taxes, raise interest rates, pull out of the money eating wars, and watch the economy grow.

In Sweden the tax rate is 52%, but their have free health care, free college, low unemployment and high compensation packages but CEO's salaries are severely limited, unlike America where their is a good old boys club of CEO's joining each other’s boards and doling out fraudulent salaries and benefits stealing it from investors and employees.

Let's get serious about enforcing the tax laws pertaining to churches. There are so many that engage in political activity and fundraising that invalidates their tax-free status.

Here's my own modest proposal - early testing for severe birth defects. I would rather pay for such pre-natal tests and counseling, abortion if the parents choose- than be stuck with the huge costs for taking care of children who will have a greatly reduced quality of life. Unless you have personally adopted a child with severe autism, fetal alcohol syndrome, Down syndrome, you really should not be forcing your right-to-life opinion on others.

You forgot to strike Corporate Personhood from the statutes.

Agreed...But you can bet your bottom dollar that will never happen,unless more adopt this sound thinking.. and outlaw meddling from corporate and foreign lobbyists in our election processes! Yes to term limits and no to their health benefits, If the house and senate are only working part time...fair is fair,and here's a novel idea..tax lobbyist and political contributions ...put that money saved and taxed into creating civilian JOBS and bring back credence to the voice of the people! Furthermore.. Lobbyists, CEO's,and inside traitors..(sorry i meant traders),should be taxed at or near 90% until deficit is eliminated.. and show a vested interest in doing whats right for once instead of shredding our bill of rights and looting our treasury..treason is as treason does,and they should be tried and convicted for the damage done to our economy!

Naughty, naughty, Dave. You mentioned the verboten idea of cutting the Defense Budget! Don't you know that budget is sacred to those in Washinton D.C.?

Corporate criminals are in charge of tax policy. Nothing gets better until we take back our country from the corporations.

What about the wars that off budget? Not only are we are killing innocent people and being killed, at least those in the military are being killed, destroying the environment in every area where the military is active, drones, too, and using horrendous amounts of oil - aren't we running out of it? Billions of dollars for war but nothing for the people.

Americans hate wall street but they seem to hate washington DC even more. This is partly a result of relentless propaganda funded by the rich and the deep state. But it is genuinely felt by most people; including myself; I am absolutely opposed to war. If there is no other choice but the collapse of the government, and the economy, to stop U.S. wars, hey. Works for me. I am not negotiable on this. I want the military *stopped. * For example, I cannot in good conscience vote Democrat. I am well and truly disenfranchised.

I have a similar plan, just a little more simple! Roll the tax cuts back to before Reagan, or even higher. Then give them powerful incentives to create jobs!! A tremendous amount of money was redistributed to the rich since Reagan. It’s time for them to pay our society back!!!

The rich don't pay taxes and refuse to serve in the army. Either one is a good reason to can them. Some people think we need the rich, and we need Wall Street. Me, I think they're just sucking on the public teat, taking it for all it's worth.

Google is another capitalist rip-off. now, ripping off Ireland ,Ireland which taxes google next to nothing in an effort to attract investment, is now going under as a result of the zilch that google contributes to the Irish economy. Get rid of these predatory bastatrds!

Tax the rich? I say "Eat the Rich!"

I agree that "limited liability" is the greatest corporate scam ever devised. Without this, the gambling corporations referred to as 'Financial Houses" would not believe they can set up traps to rob the average person with deceit as the major form of information made available.

"Tax the rich, feed the poor, until there are no rich no more."

Alvin Lee, 10 Years After

Dave, if the rich (top 1%) had way higher tax rates and the only way they could save some of that money were to create jobs, the people employed would have money to create demand (I think this would bring far more money into the system than just tax cuts). At first it wouldn’t matter if the new businesses made any money, they would be tax right offs, but because there would be more money in the hands of people who would spend it, business across the board would benefit including many of the new ones. It then becomes self perpetuating. More money to spend, more businesses to make and employ people! Historically, this country thrived on higher tax rates for the rich. Most of our economic trouble has been lower tax rates for the rich and the deregulation of the financial institution that has created all of the bank failures since Reagan, accumulating in our most recent Great Recession.
Obviously the rich do not create jobs when given tax cuts, just look at our economy. Maybe, with higher rates and great incentives to employ people our society would once again thrive!

agreed.

and take away legal personhood from corporations.

Great article. In fact, why really stop at the end of Carter? Eisenhaur, a republican raised the marginal tax rate on the rich to 90 percent and the country did well.

We do need to list all the subsidies that we the people give to the few. You dont mention all the medical research supported by the goverment and the deduction on cadillac medical insurence, and the mortgage tax deduction that mostly goes to the rich.

Most importantly during the present crisis. Many bankers and brokerage companies, were bankrupt until they got bailouts. This we all know. But it is also clear that they still are bankrupt if you mark their assets to market. On the other hand the government is getting them out of bankrupsy by quantitative easing. This is the biggest feed the elephants to feed the birds strategy. It will reduce the value of the dollar and increase the asset prices so that the banks are no longer bankrupt. This is costing the rest of us, especially the savers a huge amount.

the 100% Death Tax: There should be no inheritance, save some modest support for dependents, until such time as they are capable of fending for themselves. Otherwise: the entire assets of those who die in a given year are reserved and distributed equally as a 'grubstake' to all those who were born in that year upon reaching their adulthood.

What is the incentive for the wealthy to make money? The shares that their grandchildren enjoy will be larger (though not any larger than anyone elses.) - end of class welfare and unearned income.

Hear, HERE!

A fair and right income tax policy: 50% over 500k, cut to 25% if from NEW operations only, 0% if operation is in a ghetto.

That addresses the deficit, a proportionate burden put back on the wealthiest during crisis fiscal times like now, and real incentives to start new businesses.

Did you add many-fold to your wealth during the Reagan/Bush era when upper tax tiers were slashed in both 1981 and 2001?

I didn't think so. Emergency times are emergency times, and fair is fair...

- Balkingpoints / www

There are obviously some very disturbed people out there...
@nazani14 what would you do about children born with Cerebral Palsy...it is an accident at birth and not genetic? You are just a car accident away from being in the same boat.
@American Patriot Nice...this is the type of propaganda you hear from people who have never faced any real challenges. You too are just a car accident or serious illness away from being bankrupt yourself.
In either case: you are both morally bankrupt.
I like these proposals...and I also like the comment about buying Treasury Bonds. We should all be doing that.

Great article. The disparity between "rich" and "other' has been a poison, and it's been going on for so long that it's the new normal.

It's turning America into an ordinary place.

I have sat from afar and wondered instead of letting people like Beck with his right wing rallies take over Washington how about striking back on you own. I'm not sure of the US population other than its north of 200 mil people and with 10% ot thereabouts uemployment how about on one day every unemployed person in the US and their families stage a sit in around the various state buildings nearest them. Actually do something about the plight instead of bitching about it. Get the message out through sheer numbers and then you might be able to get some parity into your lives again.

"Typical Liberal fare. Steal from one group of society to give to another. Where is government of the people, by the people, for the people if it steals from some of the people?"

You mean the way they steal from everyone below them through special interest laws to make competition illegal, make it impossible to escape indentured servitude?

"Taxation is only fair when it is fairly applied."

Are you saying the invading hordes staved off by our military, the criminals kept in check by our police, the thoroughfares kept up by the highway act, do not benefit them disproportionately?

The invading hordes and criminals don't go after the shoebox apartments in the ghettos, and yet the residents of those apartments pay more in taxes.

Trucking companies are being subsidized by socialist highway systems, telecoms subsidized by nasa, and all at the expense of the middle 60%, the rich should pay 90% taxes to even approach their "fair share" of it all.

Keep talking Dave and more people will listen. It's voices like yours that put the "We" back in "We the People". Long live Dave Johnson!

All your suggestions sound appealing, but there are a few points that are being ignored; most citizens are; politically, culturally, socially, ecologically, economically and intellectually ignorant and lazy, as long as they have "bread and games" (I gots me the game on the tele, a beer, and maybe even get laid this weekend, life is good. I don't want take no time to figr out wats goin on.) they are appeased. True, some maybe 10% of the commoners are willing to fight, but most accept their lot in life. Kirkpatrick and Reagan knew that in the 80's, along with the Republican and Democratic leadership.
Mussolini would be proud. "Doctrines and Origins of Fascism" Giovanni Gentile, 1932.

"how do you justify penalizing the upper class, regardless of weather they earned it or inherited it."

Because they do absolutely no harder work (and often less work) than the rest of the people who make 5,0000 times less than they do, and benefit 5,000 times more from the services paid for through taxation, from defense to infrastructure.

They treat human beings like pawns, profit from their labor, and should give back to their communities. They can have their lavish lifestyles if they like, but not at the expense of the poor, and it really wouldn't put a dent in their lifestyles to make sure the peons have a reasonable work-life balance, have jobs, and have homes, food, and universal healthcare.

I have rad enough complaints and possible solutions to our political corruption to be convinced that nothing will changer until the super greedy are Faced with PHYSICAL action instead of dialogue that depends on the super greedy to voluntary relinquish their stolen wealth.

A friend f ten years relationship stole several hundred dollars from me. I told the investigating detective that I would drop the charges if the 'Friend' returned the Money. The detective said, "You expect him to come to you with a hand full of money? It never happens."
The Super Greedy only understand Physical Action, and they are certain the American Public will never resort to violence, and the courts are all locked up by the SUPER Greedy So continue with your suggestions from now until forever with your pissing and moaning.
Things will continue to get worse until the public uses action instead of dialogue.

This plan is pretty stupid. Sorry, I call 'em like I see 'em. It is pure socialist class warfare nonsense. No inheritance allowed? 70% or higher top tax rates? Why save? Why work? We can all become wards of the Big Brother Welfare State. The government should have plenty of money to take care of us after it taxes it all away from everyone earning or saving "too much!" Own a small business and unfortunately die? Fork it over! Your family and employees are out on the street. They can live on newly "guaranteed" unemployment, Social Security and Medicare benefits. What a wonderful future they will all have.

No, maybe I'm wrong. This is such such a great idea, let's tax 100% of everything anyone earns or saves over $500K! No one should be allowed to earn more than 25% over what our supreme ruler, the President of the United States, earns. Successful athletes, entertainers, businessmen, professionals, investors, inventors, elderly savers--you're all too rich and greedy. Fork it over! It belongs to the people!

Why is it that people think its all right to take money from someone else because the other can afford it? The amount of entitlement the author feels to other people's things is shameful.

The only scheme that makes sense is a flat tax rate. Everyone should pay the same percent on everything. The rich still pay more because the same percent on a higher salary is a higher amount. Noone should get to hide income in any way. Just make everything homogenous and simple.

Moreover, we should tax consumption. We should be taxing things like gas and water at a higher rate to promote conservation and alternative technologies. This will affect high earners because generally they consume more.

Look, just because your mama bought you a computer doesn't mean you should be deciding tax (legalized stealing) policy.

I started out with nothing, (no taxable income) then worked in Bolivia, Colombia, North Africa, Arabia and Texas

No harm, no foul is my motto.

Now, I'm ready to return home (where I've been paying $15,000 in property tax yearly for 10 years, 28% of my income to the IRS and ton's of sales tax, put 3 kids through the ridiculously expensive colleges) .

Author sounds like a vulture are waiting to rob me blind.

Relocate and get a job !

This article might sound good if you have no common sense.

The latest data show that a big portion of the federal income tax burden is shoul dered by a small group of the very richest Americans. The wealthiest 1 percent of the population earn 19 per cent of the income but pay 37 percent of the income tax. The top 10 percent pay 68 percent of the tab. Meanwhile, the bottom 50 percent—those below the median income level—now earn 13 percent of the income but pay just 3 percent of the taxes. If we continue raising taxes on the wealthy, why wouldn't the take their money to another country who would love to have them? If that wealthy 1% leaves we are in real trouble.

Even with the tax breaks, it is clear the wealthy are doing more than their part, while the bottom half of the population is only paying 3% of the bill (not helping deficit).

No tax breaks for people who are actually investing and driving the economy? Reduced capital gains taxes do not benefit short term/ professional investors, however, they benefit the common person who has longer term investments and encourages them to do more when they can.

Inheritance tax increase...Are your serious? Have you ever worked for anything substantial in your life? If so, you should want to have the right to pass on to your children that which you worked for, payed for, and already paid taxes on. This is double taxation IMO.

I along with half a million other activists have a better idea: Get rid of money altogether!

We don't need it! Our technology can provide complete abundance for every human on the planet. For more information, check out thevenusproject.com or zeitgeistaddendum.com

Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, as well as the national debt and other federal obligations combined is around $62 trillion dollars. You could seize 100% of the wealth of all those evil, horrible people in the top 1% and you would still be $43 trillion in the hole.

As a fairly well-off individual myself, I think that we need to start funding death squads to deal with wealth-stealers like Dave Johnson. Kill his family and children too.

Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, as well as the national debt and other federal obligations combined is around $62 trillion dollars. You could seize 100% of the wealth of all those evil, horrible people in the top 1% and you would still be $43 trillion in the hole.

As a fairly well-off individual myself, I think that we need to start funding death squads to deal with wealth-stealers like Dave Johnson. Kill his family and children too.

mike1210- is a typical fascist. Take him at his word. The threat he has just made should be reported to the police. While there have been some heated discussion above, even stupidity at times - it is perfectly reasonable to raise argument that the tax rate of wealthiest in the country should be higher and also to determine what is most beneficial to the national good. In a democracy there is the possibility that the majority does and can determine the limits of wealth. Corporations are given existence to operate in the public interest and abide by the laws and regulations of the Nation.

While you are forcefully expressing your rage against the postulation of such a notion as higher taxes on the wealthiest, you are quiet wrong about the right to threaten others and their families because they have offered an idea you are opposed to.

Do you want to live in such a world? What protects you and each of us is our ability to defend our ideas and present ideas without fear. Your nasty comment is not within the bounds of protected speech - no you may not threaten people- you should be concerned that you have put out in public a written death threat -

You should apologize and remove it immediately, perhaps hire a lawyer.

If we're going to address taxes, we need to address the fact that we only have 3 tax brackets. Why? There is no way someone earning $300,000 per year should be taxed at the same rate as someone making $300 million. In my opinion there should be at least 6 tax brackets, and anyone earning $10 million or more annually should be taxed at least 50%.

Does anyone here actually know how much the upper brackets currently pay in taxes? How much the lower brackets pay? And regardless of that, when do we stop espousing the idea of giving the government more money and actually ask what they're doing with what they have? When do we stop holding citizens disproportionately more accountable and start holding the government properly accountable? Does the government spend our money as wisely and frugally as we spend our own? Out of every dollar of ours that they spend, how much goes to the things we vote on as being important to us? Does the government maintain a measurable amount of ethical regard in their fiscal dealings like many of us do?

Blindly increasing taxes on the rich is a cop-out. We greatly shirk our responsibility as citizens when we back ideas like this. If it helps in seeing the obvious, there's no shortage of irony in broad callings-out of the corruption and greed in the rich when calling for a transfer of their wealth to the government.

Wealth is created Pt. 2

The rich don't give a moment's thought to all the shared ("socialist"?) resources---the roads, towns, phone and utility services, neighborhoods, sidewalks, public schools, university systems, medical research, hospitals, policemen, firefighters---that have either helped them to get where they are today or provided them with employees. They delude themselves into thinking that they "did it all on their own", and they sit like selfish children, clinging to their accumulated wealth and snarling "It's mine, mine, all mine!!!", ready to kill anybody who suggests they haven't been giving their fair share for maintaining our society.

In the meantime, the rest of us "lesser" people can't afford to buy goods and services like before, so there's no demand, no jobs, no wealth being created, and here we all sit.

If you truly want to change the tax structure to something fair then we must all pay on gross income.
the thing people do not seem to grasp is corps pay taxes on PROFIT, not gross income or earnings statements that public corp give out at the end of the year. When you file a 40,000 page tax return you net profit becomes whatever the corp says it is, because no one has the means to check. A flat rate, no deduction tax for both business and personal is the only way.

Absolutely the right direction. I hope you will run for Congress and get elected.
To your excellent list, I would add putting tariffs on all imported goods. Our business people will get back into business when they know that they have some protection from cheap foreign labor and manipulated currencies. In the age of climate change, it is important for every nation to be as self-reliant as practical. The UN just reported that world poverty has doubled. Lets use some of our tax money to encourage self reliance among poor nations. --Thanks!

Maybe the system works.

If one bothers to educate, grow contextually, learn the rules etc and not go the game/watch masses of TV/bbq/fishing/other trivial pursuit...

then maybe one could get richer - and stop whining.

Remember the golden rule....
Them who has the gold....make the rules.

who are these rich people you plan to unfairly tax to pay for others failures (I mean, the "unfortunate")...most of them worked hard to get where they are and shouldnt be punished by giving up their hard earned money for losers who drain the system sitting pretty on social services. Get off your buts and get a job. Dont buy crap you cant afford. save your money...get rid of ALL welfare, and social security, and the US would be a better place. Health care is not a right...you have to work for it...the "unfortunate" shoulda thought of that when they were making D's in high school and knockin each other up. Why should I pay for their stupidity and laziness?

I'm always amused when communists call me a "fascist", ignoring the fact that fascism is a form of guild socialism.

In America since 1950, average growth during high tax periods where the government confiscated more than 18% of GDP was 1.08%. Average growth during normal tax periods was 2.45%. (http://jim.com/econ_growth/index.html) Average real GDP growth during evil low Reagan taxes, 1982 to 1990, minus federal government expenditures, was 3.01%.

I wish I only had to pay for roads and sewers - my taxes would be a small fraction of what they are now.

I find it interesting that those that don't want high taxes for the rich, don't want any support for working folks. Also also don't want high wages for the working folks (but defend bank busting bonuses of useless CEOs)

Maybe if US employers provided a living wage, relative to the cost of living (where a family need only rely on one income earner), a robust medical plan for ALL WORKERS, unemployment insurance for ALL WORKERS, and a pension for ALL WORKERS they would be have more of a case for lower taxes.

But as it is, the capital/investment class and its gov't minions treat the working class like the old horse in Animal Farm. Whipped, beaten, over worked and disenfranchised. That is the American working and middle class.

"... growth during high tax periods where the government confiscated more than 18% of GDP was 1.08%. ...during normal tax periods was 2.45%. ..real GDP growth during evil low Reagan taxes, 1982..was 3.01%."

How about growth in median wage instead of "average"? The GDP supposedly skyrocketed under bush too!

How about the fact that through the 50's and 60's the convenience store clerk's kids could go to college, and everyone could afford a house.

How about the fact that under Reagan we lost our entire manufacturing sector, and the age of the housewife ended because, after 260 years of single earner households, it just wasn't possible to do it that way for 90% of american families.

"average growth during high tax periods where the government confiscated more than 18% of GDP was 1.08%"
Notice the lack of a specific time frame, making it impossible to fact check.

"verage growth during normal tax periods was 2.45%"
Again no time frame, and what exactly is 'normal', another nebulous term.

"1982 to 1990, minus federal government expenditures, was 3.01%."

and in 1991 the recession which was inevitable because the "profits" and "growth" were at the cost of middle class income (and thus the majority of consumer expenditures) wiped it all off the map..

so, the selective used of data makes me wonder, what branch of fox news or the heritage foundation do you work for?

My, my. The latest Raspublican talking point must pertain to shaming the author's mother. Do you right wingers really think the rest of us can't see your actions for what they are? I like this plan and think it's fair. Besides, I think it would work. This nation needs a reality shift — and quickly.