tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27943050.post4924571945076786355..comments2023-11-02T09:53:09.569-04:00Comments on Groves U.S. History Blog: Blog #5 - Taxes, taxes, taxesGeoff Wickershamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07430848929082686290noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27943050.post-49434647392183141952007-10-28T12:31:00.000-04:002007-10-28T12:31:00.000-04:00I believe that progressive tax would work best in ...I believe that progressive tax would work best in our society because the rich people have to pay more than the poor which makes perfect sense because the rich buy things that they dont need and they have more money to pay for higher taxes. If we were to use flat tax then the price of taxes may be too high for the poor and that would cause many people to go into debt. Also the buy using the progressive tax, much of the money that we would be paying for taxes would go to things or places that are necessary such as police stations, firefighters, public health and many other things. Also the wealthy benefit more from the American system by using it more often to keep their wealth.<BR/>Even though the progressive tax would be harder to collect becuase of the different percentages, it still makes it easier on many Americans.<BR/>Ian Perfitt<BR/>U.S. 1st HourAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27943050.post-89238642102573531632007-10-26T14:31:00.000-04:002007-10-26T14:31:00.000-04:003. The wealthy are morally obligated to sustain th...3. The wealthy are morally obligated to sustain the American system b/c they benefit more from it than the average American. "Ordinary people rarely use the courts; most of the courts are used for corporate law and contract disputes." Therefore, the rich pay more than the poor or middle class b/c the rich utilize the system more often to create and sustain their wealth. <BR/><BR/><BR/>Blog.<BR/><BR/>I think that the weathly people should have to pay just as much at the poorer people. but the taxes should not be up to just the weathly peoples standars because if some people don't have alot of money then they wont be able to pay for their taxes. with this they will get into dept and get into alot of trouble. i think that they should come up with one taxe like we have now that the more you own the more you have to pay. its your choice to have alot of material things big houses, lots of cars, and all the none nessesities. but we choose to have all these things which make our tax's higher and we are loosing money.<BR/><BR/>Jessie Best<BR/>5th hourAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27943050.post-76355823217782630462007-10-26T09:22:00.000-04:002007-10-26T09:22:00.000-04:00I believe that progressive tax is the most effecti...I believe that progressive tax is the most effective in our society. taxes are what supply our country with different things that our people need, such as protection from police, and fire departments. it also provides things that are given to the army and need to be bought for the army. if a flat tax was put into effect, a certain class of people would either have a big advantage or a big disadvantage. how would the government know where to put the tax for everyone? would it be placed higher to get more out of the rich, or lower so that the rich wouldn't have to pay as much but the lower class could afford? also, if the rich are benefiting more from the government than a lower class person, i do think that they should have to pay more for what they are getting from them.<BR/><BR/>ryan l. <BR/>5thAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27943050.post-27264967212606993502007-10-25T14:53:00.000-04:002007-10-25T14:53:00.000-04:00well i do think that texes are able to boosts all ...well i do think that texes are able to boosts all economic businesses but it does depends on hwat franchise it leans on to. though i think that our government does have the empowerment on roads etc. but i do not think that is is available to everyone. in my conclusion it is common to protect the mantained taxes but it is our responsbilty to invest on what tax should be paid. <BR/><BR/>Lydia G. <BR/>5th HourAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27943050.post-40263740927123650842007-10-24T22:28:00.000-04:002007-10-24T22:28:00.000-04:00Some people in our society inherit money, but a ma...Some people in our society inherit money, but a majority of them put time, dedication, effort, and skills to earn this money. I think there should be flat taxes, because thats not fair to the wealthy for them to pay higher taxes. It only seems fair to the middle class or poor cause their the ones with the better share of the deal. Flat taxes allow families to not have to pay taxes until they have the income of 30,000. This allows them to save college money for this childrens future education. These taxes also help make successful businesses. For example, instead of paying alot of money into taxes, businesses can use the money toward inventory, supplies, equipment, and such on.<BR/><BR/><BR/>casey harrelson<BR/>hr.3Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27943050.post-30792766975732448792007-10-24T18:40:00.000-04:002007-10-24T18:40:00.000-04:00I would support the progressiveax movement because...I would support the progressiveax movement because it gives more money to the things that count more like the fire department and police. I also think people should have to pay a percentage of their money not a set amount. That wayits eaisier for the poor and the rich pay for both. I also think its not to fair that the rich should pay more but it is helping the taxes and i feel it should continue.Thats why i support the proggresive tax movement.<BR/><BR/>Josh.D 5th hourAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27943050.post-6842811857346073272007-10-24T16:58:00.000-04:002007-10-24T16:58:00.000-04:00I believe that flat taxes are better, mainly becau...I believe that flat taxes are better, mainly because it is a safer way to go about our lives. Further more I believe that it makes business and other economic corporations a lot more understandable and easier to talk to about every ones business. Luckily it removes any surprises away from taxpayers and it makes it equal. And furthermore it will help investors see what they should do with stocks and other forms of business. Although, it does really help us by eliminating any taxes on land, estates, and any doubled taxes on savings! So in thought of this statement I believe that these forms of taxes are very well constructed and also help us very much in our time of need. Meaning that these taxes are saving us money and are splitting some of our taxes for the war and the other half goes to helping us with paying off our debts! That is my take on the flat taxes that I really do believe that they help us in the long run!<BR/><BR/>Bryan M.<BR/>3rd hourAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27943050.post-91141212143138248332007-10-24T16:51:00.000-04:002007-10-24T16:51:00.000-04:00The income tax has been around for years to help p...The income tax has been around for years to help pay the cost of running our country. People are always complaining about how much tax we pay. I went on the internet to find exactly what we are buying with our taxes. In 2007 the federal government collected about 2.7 trillion dollars in taxes. About 70% of the annual budget pays for Social Security and payment of interest on our national debt. 22% of our tax dollars pays for medical care, 3% for veteran’s benefits, and 1.3% for the needy. In total, 58% of the budget goes back to individuals for unemployment, disability, food stamps, etc. This seems like a huge percent and has double over the past 40 years. I believe the government needs to run itself like a business and only spend what it takes in and decrease the national debt. This could allow me to pay fewer taxes when I get older.<BR/><BR/>Justin Laffer<BR/>5th hourAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27943050.post-380592699778779362007-10-24T15:28:00.000-04:002007-10-24T15:28:00.000-04:00Arguments for the progressive tax include:1. All A...Arguments for the progressive tax include:<BR/>1. All Americans benefit from two of our government's responsibilities, protection (police, firefighters, public health, military) and empowerment (roads, public education, banking system for loans and economic stability, SEC for the stock market, courts, national parks, public buildings, etc.), and they should be available to everyone. We are financially responsible to maintain these so that they may be used for the common good. These protections are maintained through taxes. <BR/>2. The wealthy (corporations, investors and other wealthy individuals) pay more into the system because "our taxes create and sustain, [and] empower the wealthy in myriad ways to create their wealth." In other words, they have benefited from the system in place, they should pay to maintain it.<BR/><BR/><BR/>"Consider Bill Gates...Though he has undoubtedly benefited from his unusual intelligence and business acumen, he could not have created or sustained his personal wealth without the common wealth [of the United States]. The legal system protected Microsoft's intellectual property and contracts. The tax-supported financial infrastructure (phones, electricity, Internet) enabled him to access capital markets and trade his stock in a market in which investors have confidence. He built his company with many employees educated in public schools and universities. Tax-funded research helped develop computer science and the internet..." and so on. <BR/><BR/>3. The wealthy are morally obligated to sustain the American system b/c they benefit more from it than the average American. "Ordinary people rarely use the courts; most of the courts are used for corporate law and contract disputes." Therefore, the rich pay more than the poor or middle class b/c the rich utilize the system more often to create and sustain their wealth.<BR/><BR/>I think that we should have Progessive Tax, because if we all have to pay the same amount the only thing that happens is that the Rich stay rich and the poor get poorer, but if we have the pay based on how much we earn it make the already big gap between rich and poor smaller, which is better for the US.<BR/><BR/>Michael Treacher<BR/>5th hourAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27943050.post-84415934203580970292007-10-24T13:29:00.000-04:002007-10-24T13:29:00.000-04:00I beleive that the United STats of America should ...I beleive that the United STats of America should use a flat tax rate for its income taxes. This would not take more money from the rich than the poor. The rich have for the most part made their money fairly and have a right to their money. They do not deserve to be alienated because they have more money than those who do not have as much money as them. The flat tax should also be used because it is a lot simpler than the progressive tax. There is nothing complictaed about the flat tax and it takes a lot less time to complete. This will also help the economy because people with more money will be able to invest in the conomy and will ahve more money to donate and give away to charities. So basicall I think that the flat tax rate is better than the progressive tax rate.<BR/><BR/>Phil Bolton 5th HourAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27943050.post-85084230834352527502007-10-24T11:40:00.000-04:002007-10-24T11:40:00.000-04:001.) I think that Americans are spending too much m...1.) I think that Americans are spending too much money on a war that most people don't agree with.<BR/>Every country in the world has a huge national debt, but as I said in question 1, if America stops the war, the country would have less debt.<BR/>I think that both flat tax and progressive tax are good.<BR/>Flat tax eliminates special interests because everybody is paying the same amount. Plus, it eliminates the capital gains tax, the estate tax...<BR/>But I also agree with progressive tax because poor people cannot pay as much as the rich do. Some people say that it's their fault if they are poor. But I really don't think so, you sometimes also have to count on your parents to get a good education (money...).<BR/><BR/>Stephan Monpetit,5th HourAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27943050.post-15262921528157203742007-10-24T11:02:00.000-04:002007-10-24T11:02:00.000-04:00I think that we should have flat tax because its n...I think that we should have flat tax because its not fare that the people with more money have to pay more money. Why do we have to spend so much money on whats going on in the world when sme familys need the money for there family,. i still thnk that wwe should have a tax but i dont understand why we have to pay so much for everything else that you arent even involvbed it; like for instance i think that most of the extra money shouyld go to our education. Our education should be very important to the government, our knowledge should be improved. i might be wrong but thats how i feel.<BR/><BR/>Gina Kslabat<BR/>3rd HourAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27943050.post-62087212092788833172007-10-24T09:37:00.000-04:002007-10-24T09:37:00.000-04:00I agree with the progressive tax side because the ...I agree with the progressive tax side because the money that we pay for taxes is benefiting us. America needs essential things such as police and firefighters to help protect our country, and also the tax money is going towards something good such as helping fellow Americans. This also helps out a lot with the war that is going on because America is in debt and by paying taxes everyone has a chance to put their fair share of tax money into the government. Taxes are getting higher as jobs a being cut because the government needs more money to pay for things such as the war, and schools that help America. With jobs being cut many people are also becoming poor so paying more taxes is a lot to them but to the wealthy they would not care if they had to pay more for taxes.<BR/><BR/>Channel <BR/>1st HourAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27943050.post-53983938408180707372007-10-23T23:13:00.000-04:002007-10-23T23:13:00.000-04:00Marta Elia3rd hour“What are we spending our money ...Marta Elia<BR/>3rd hour<BR/><BR/>“What are we spending our money for?”<BR/>That’s a good question.<BR/>In this world lots of things are obscure and unknown, but one the most world wide known thing is that every one of us, no matter what or who, has to pay some taxes. As citizens we have privileges, and paying taxes and allowing the government to spend our money could be a way of thanking for the enjoyment that we have as citizens (to see the situation from a positive point of view), or could be literally what we are required to do (to be more realistic).<BR/> “But what are those privileges?” <BR/>Sometimes the government spends money on things that most citizens barely know about or things that we do not need. Instead many times our tax money is spent on things that benefits certain or special interest groups. <BR/>“Do we all have to pay the same amount of money?”<BR/>“If the wealthy portion of people doesn’t want to pay more taxes, would those people be really ready to share the same privileges and benefits with all the lower classes?”<BR/>If we establish that every citizen should pay the same amount of money (ignoring the huge differences between classes) we should also set up that every one should have access to the same facilities and opportunities. <BR/>That means that the poorest person and the richest one should be received the same attentions and opportunities.<BR/>I think this is never going to be possible, because we cannot pretend to unify all the people and their different economic-situations on the same social scale. It wouldn’t be realistic. It couldn’t be possible. A person’s destiny is partly determined by the choices they make about what they want to study and the goals they set, but also influencing their destiny is the place and the family where the man is born. For example if your parents are poor people and you want to be a doctor, your chances could be lower than a person who grows in middle-class family. Lots of the high paying jobs require high skills, and if you’re parents are barely able to feed you and your siblings, they wouldn’t be able to give you the right education. Without the right basis how could you learn what you need?<BR/>Unfortunately many people can’t change the situation they are born into. <BR/>Is anyone of them able to realize their dreams? <BR/>Maybe, but poor people alone can’t count always on their own sources. WE, the middle class, have to help them to improve and solve their problems. Not just the richest class, but every one who has enough for his own family should help those who alone cannot escape their poverty.<BR/>The government should be more open in saying where our money are being spend and should direct most of the taxes towards the poor people.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27943050.post-39091598637921320042007-10-23T22:39:00.000-04:002007-10-23T22:39:00.000-04:00I think a lot of a taxes at the moment are funding...I think a lot of a taxes at the moment are funding the war , whether not the actual war. Instead of funding things in our area that need to be fixed such as roads and buildings. As well as many free ways need to be fixed and thats just in michigan ,i have no idea of how it is in other states, but it cant be that much better. So much of our money is being spent , because lets be real , they need it from somewhere and they need someone to give it to them ,and if the only way they can get enough money to fund what THEY want is to take it out of taxes. We have such a huge debt because the American government has borrowed money from other countries to help fund some of America since alot of our money is tied up in Iraq. I think 1st if we end the War, that will slowly decrease the amount of eventually ,were going to have to spend a little more to get them out of there though. But after that we can slowly give a lil bit of money to start to pay off our debt. The rest NEEDS to be used to fund our country.<BR/><BR/>Symonne Smith 3rdAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27943050.post-60072848782823914732007-10-23T22:34:00.000-04:002007-10-23T22:34:00.000-04:00I think that a progressive tax has a more persuasi...I think that a progressive tax has a more persuasive argument than for a flat tax for many reasons. I think that we should still use progressive taxing because it obviously works well if we have been using for as long as we have, and we shouldn’t just change to a flat tax which is totally different. If we were to use a flat tax, a fortune 500 company has to summarize their entire year's net earnings/worth on twelve lines on a postcard, when households are supposed to summarize their earnings on that same size post card. Fortune 500 companies would be able to hide a lot of things, and would it be fraud on their part? The government can’t really blame them when they only give them a post card to write it all down, but then they may accuse them of fraud and it’s not their fault. If we were to use a flat tax, how would the government be able to keep track of many companies and to see if they were fraud, they wouldn’t is the answer. That is why a progressive tax is good for America.<BR/><BR/>Derek M<BR/>1st HourAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27943050.post-72705799719983187312007-10-23T22:15:00.000-04:002007-10-23T22:15:00.000-04:00Arguments for the progressive tax include:1. All A...Arguments for the progressive tax include:<BR/>1. All Americans benefit from two of our government's responsibilities, protection (police, firefighters, public health, military) and empowerment (roads, public education, banking system for loans and economic stability, SEC for the stock market, courts, national parks, public buildings, etc.), and they should be available to everyone. We are financially responsible to maintain these so that they may be used for the common good. These protections are maintained through taxes. <BR/>2. The wealthy (corporations, investors and other wealthy individuals) pay more into the system because "our taxes create and sustain, [and] empower the wealthy in myriad ways to create their wealth." In other words, they have benefited from the system in place, they should pay to maintain it.<BR/><BR/><BR/>"Consider Bill Gates...Though he has undoubtedly benefited from his unusual intelligence and business acumen, he could not have created or sustained his personal wealth without the common wealth [of the United States]. The legal system protected Microsoft's intellectual property and contracts. The tax-supported financial infrastructure (phones, electricity, Internet) enabled him to access capital markets and trade his stock in a market in which investors have confidence. He built his company with many employees educated in public schools and universities. Tax-funded research helped develop computer science and the internet..." and so on. <BR/><BR/>3. The wealthy are morally obligated to sustain the American system b/c they benefit more from it than the average American. "Ordinary people rarely use the courts; most of the courts are used for corporate law and contract disputes." Therefore, the rich pay more than the poor or middle class b/c the rich utilize the system more often to create and sustain their wealth. <BR/><BR/>I believe that there should be flat tax. The progressive tax helps the rich stay rich, because the rich pay more than the poor or middle class and they utilize the system more which sustains their wealth. This isn't fair for the rich people. It's not their fault for becomming so sucessful and making it big time. I don't think that the sucessful (rich people) should suffer for doing well in life. The rich people sustain their wealth because they are well educated and know how to maintain their habbits of staying rich. The wealthy shouldn't have to pay extra tax because they make more money than others. An example of this unjust tax is that if you go to a store and want to purchase a bag of chips, because you're wealthy and the store owner knows of your wealth, he shouldn't be able to charge you more then the retail price, because he knows that he can scam you out of it, because he knows your rich and it won't effect your state of being. It's not like the rich are punishing the middle class. The rich are just simply better off for their sucess. Perhaps a middle class person won the lottery and they all of a sudden had to pay more for becomming rich, like paying more tax and more on everything, they wouldn't want to stay rich long. They wouldn't want to asstain the privilage of being rich because in the end, their loosing more money then they should be. The government should use flat tax, so that all Americans, are created equal and not treated worse then others. Equality should stay in effect even when it comes to taxing.<BR/><BR/>Mary Mc Keon<BR/>3rd HourAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27943050.post-45959608002861359872007-10-23T21:57:00.000-04:002007-10-23T21:57:00.000-04:00We are spending are American money on roads, s...We are spending are American money on roads, schools,the war, and paying politicians. Our tax payer dollars are being used for things they should be used for however I do not believe that governors, representatives, and cabinet members deserve a pay increase when are economy is so bad. They need to find ways to budget American money better so we wont have problems such as possible state shutdowns. I think we could spend our money a little wiser but letting the people vote on budgets and such matters, would only make the situation because of the difference in a opinions. They’re would be too much conflict and nothing would get done. We have a large debt because our money is not being distributed in a good way. We are financing the war and it is causing most of the tax payer dollars to be sent over sea’s. We can pay are tax dollars and hope that with the election of 2008 things will get better. <BR/><BR/>Lauren Babb<BR/>1st hrAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27943050.post-81543844209851875242007-10-23T21:40:00.000-04:002007-10-23T21:40:00.000-04:00I think that both the Flat Tax and Progressive Tax...I think that both the Flat Tax and Progressive Tax have important ideas that could help the US economically. The Flat tax is a good idea because it is very fair to all classes and people. This tax also will help businesses and investors. The Progressive Tax is a good idea because it benefits all Americans with protection and empowerment. If I had to choose which tax I thought would be best, I would choose the progressive tax because I think it is a good idea for the wealthy to pay more taxes then the middle and lower classes. Some wealthy spend there money on unnecessary and unimportant luxuries, and wouldn't it be a better use of their money to influence all the people of the US? Not to mention, if the wealthy are the people benefiting from the system the most, shouldn't they be paying the most?<BR/><BR/>Rachael Tyndall<BR/>1st hourAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27943050.post-32881317095604254292007-10-23T21:26:00.000-04:002007-10-23T21:26:00.000-04:00i believe that the United States should use the fl...i believe that the United States should use the flat tax. This tax treats all businesses the same. I dont think that one business that makes more money then another business should pay more or less for taxes. The flat tax also treats all the taxpayers the same. I dont feel that its right that a wealthy person who is payed a lot more money should pay more money for taxes. Just because they have a well-payed job and are good at what they do shouldn't mean they should pay more.The wealthy shouldnt be punished for being successful.The flat tax shows equality, and the United States is all about equality and the progressive tax shows unfairness. The flat tax also boosts the economic growth and also elimantes other taxes which is better for our economy. The flat tax is alot easier for determining taxes.<BR/><BR/>3rd hour<BR/>Lauren O'ShaughnessyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27943050.post-59814452638451048092007-10-23T21:11:00.000-04:002007-10-23T21:11:00.000-04:00One more thing to think about when answering this ...One more thing to think about when answering this question: <BR/><BR/> - if, as some of you are saying, the flat tax punishes the rich and will make them stop working so hard, why hasn't America ground to a halt? We've had a progressive tax for 94 years since the 16th Amendment was passed in 1913. <BR/><BR/>Rich Americans haven't stopped working nor have they stopped investing their money. Their money has been used by the government to build the biggest highway system in the world starting in 1957. It's been used to launch countless satellites (Thanks, NASA, a government-funded program) that have improved communications dramatically since we've raced to catch up with Sputnik. And the money has been used to keep Americans out of dire poverty. BEFORE the Great Depression in 1929, 60% of Americans were at or below the poverty line. Now, that number hovers around 15-20%. <BR/><BR/>Just a couple of things to think about that progressive tax money has been spent so far.Geoff Wickershamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07430848929082686290noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27943050.post-3989028325173659052007-10-23T21:06:00.000-04:002007-10-23T21:06:00.000-04:00Especially now the United States needs to bring in...Especially now the United States needs to bring in some money to support the war. Taxes are the perfect way for everyone to contribute. There are two kinds of taxes that both interest the people, and the government. Flat taxes are when all citizens pay the same rate of taxes per year. No matter on how rich or poor you are, everyone contributes the same to the government. Progressive taxes are when the rich pay more than the poor. The people pay the maximum of what they are capable to for the government’s interests. So no matter how much money you make it will balance out. I think that since the war now is costing us 4-5 billion dollars a month that progressive taxes are the way to go. All classes contribute a fair, balanced amount, and it really makes a difference in paying off war debt. I also think it is the better argument because it involves departments that provide protection for the people. It also allows small, large, or new business grow without the burden of more taxes just because they are successful. <BR/>Paige D. <BR/>1st hour,Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27943050.post-86039990452504542942007-10-23T20:47:00.000-04:002007-10-23T20:47:00.000-04:00Hey guys, I want to clarify something. For a flat...Hey guys, I want to clarify something. For a flat tax, everyone doesn't pay the same AMOUNT, they pay the same RATE. That's the difference. Some of you are under the impression or you're saying in your blogs that you like the flat tax b/c people are treated equally b/c they pay the same amount. Not true. The same flat rate is what they pay. <BR/><BR/>The one thing I don't like about the flat tax is the corporate form. It's almost as simple as the individual form which I think is pretty ridiculous. A Fortune 500 company is supposed to summarize their entire year's net earnings/worth on twelve lines on a postcard? So many misdeeds and secret accounts can be hidden in those lines that I believe the end result will be more corporate fraud on the scale on Enron, not less. <BR/><BR/>And to treat a company like Microsoft the same as a hot dog vendor is an insult to Microsoft. How many jobs does Microsoft generate here and abroad compared to one vendor in NYC? That analogy is absurd. <BR/><BR/>Mr. W.Geoff Wickershamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07430848929082686290noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27943050.post-43425946779702563882007-10-23T20:45:00.000-04:002007-10-23T20:45:00.000-04:00Jumi CadmusU.S Hist 3rd hour.In my opinion, I thin...Jumi Cadmus<BR/>U.S Hist 3rd hour.<BR/><BR/>In my opinion, I think citizens are spending too much money on the wrong things. People are spending money on unimportant things like sports, and big entertainment events. The average Athlete gets paid millions of dollars , while other people who have jobs that contribute to helping the society(Garbage men) don't get paid as much. Most people put too much effort on entertainment events like concerts and big games. Instead of spending money on these things, I think we should use more of the money to pay of debts or help the lower class citizens. There also many poor and homeless people who need the money. In addition, the sick and elderly need money too. We also can't forget about paying for prisons and crime. There are many more important things than sports and entertainment that the money should be used for.The government should stop raising taxes and regulate how much money is used for "unimportant" things. They should regulate the distribution of money to different citizens and pay the people who have more important job. In other words, pay the people who have jobs that contribute to keeping the country in order.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27943050.post-524905641944038302007-10-23T20:13:00.000-04:002007-10-23T20:13:00.000-04:00I believe that Americans pay taxes for a reason. W...I believe that Americans pay taxes for a reason. With our taxes, roads are being built, the police and fire departments are in the neighborhoods of the people, and public education is being paid for. Some people may think that the ordinary citizen doesn’t utilize the same public services as the wealthy upper class person and I think differently. Do you drive? Do you go to school? Do you use the stock market and banking systems? Do you like to feel protected from crime, fire and terrorist attacks? Most people can answer yes to all of these questions, so that means most people use the taxpayers’ money to a similar extent. The government uses the money to help Americans. If they gave it to the Americans, then Americans would have to help themselves and sometimes people don’t know how to do that. So, in conclusion, I think that the flat tax is appropriate because America is all about equality. Everyone is given an equal chance at life and sometimes, people blow it. Is it the wealthy people’s fault that the poor have no money? I think that people need to make smart financial decisions. This choice will boost the economy.<BR/><BR/>Sam C.<BR/>1st hr.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com