> Except that the top tax brackets pay way more in income taxes, both in dollars and as a percentage of income. My guess is that once you factor-in payroll tax

> Except that the top tax brackets pay way more in income taxes, both in dollars and as a percentage of income. My guess is that once you factor-in payroll taxes & regressive consumption taxes, the poor contribute a larger % of their income than do the rich. > ...the viewpoint you advocate is extremely patronizing. W/ all due respect, spare me the crocodile tears. Using economic chicanery to persuade huge swathes of voters is a storied tradition in electoral politics (as is accusing those who would call it chicanery of having 'no respect for the common man,' or whatever). > ...is not to use the votes of the many to take from the few, but rather to set up a system that is reasonably fair to all? I'd love for democracy to take from the many and give to the few, but for _some MYSTERIOUS reason_, the many don't appear to have much to spare these days. So, until the Gini coefficient starts to tick-back towards this "reasonably fair" system you mention, I'll likely stick to my rube-like habit of suspiciously asking '_cui bono_?'