Half the respondents of a new poll say taxing the richest Americans by at least 50 percent is a great idea, while more than a third consider Twitter a fad that will likely fade.
Those are among the findings of a new “60 Minutes”-Vanity Fair Poll released Sunday.
Nearly half of the respondents chose Wal-Mart as the institution that best symbolizes America today, leaving in the dust runners-up Google, Microsoft, the NFL, and the banking and securities firm Goldman Sachs.
Dining out was chosen most often by respondents as a luxury they hate sacrificing in these tough economic times. And 5 percent thought the best way to fight obesity among patrons of fast-food chains is to equip each restaurant with scales for them to weigh themselves.
A politician taking bribes is considered by far the greater sin (chosen by 37 percent of the respondents) when stacked against extramarital affairs (just 2 percent).
Check out the poll itself on a variety of topics and vote.
As one who thinks taxation is theft, I would like to point out that in the Post World War II period, all the way up until 1986, the highest marginal federal income tax rates for individuals were over 50%.
Think about it. This is THE period during which America was the greatest nation on earth, no questions asked. With those tax rates in effect, we had the industrial, military, intellectual and cultural worlds at out feet. More recently, not so much.
Heck, British celebrities established residence here to escape even higher taxes at home.
I’m not necessarily in favor of an income tax, or if we have one, making it progressive. But, if we’re going to have an income tax, and if we are going to have it be progressive, than we ought to damned well do it!
#31-bobbo-blah, blah, blah
You know I am right, you just don’t have the guts to admit it.
Obama sucks as a president… that’s just a fact.
#32–spsffan==one error you and other LIEBERTARIANS make is thinking that “anyone WANTS” to raise taxes. Most reasonably speaking, NOBODY wants taxes “but” they are necessary if a society is to function. Witness BushtheRetards most disasterous demonstration of deficit spending.
Taxes, fees, charges of all the types there are are required in order to pay for the services demanded by the people. Failure to do that is corruption practiced by our elected representatives. Cutting Taxes while increasing benefits should be a criminal activity.
#33–Doodiepants==how many months would you give the bestest president ever to turn around/correct BushtheRetards mess?
#32 Thanks spsffan, I was going to say that if someone didn’t. America did just fine with high taxes on the rich. That was the time of the rise of the middle class. Now the middle class is getting squeezed down (with a few escaping to the ranks of the rich) and we’re turning into a banana republic — a few filthy rich and a huge crowd of desperate poor.
The wake started for the US when it was decided that we would stop making things and have a service economy. The only thing Washington did in this bailout was to increase the length of the ramp, along with it’s height. There will be no recovery, just a long lingering limp. What are you going to do with the cash you have? Near 0% interest rates makes CD’s a joke. Everyone, rightly so, is scared shitless of the markets. Want to invest in property?
Hell if you have anything left you might as well spend the crap and have some fun before the next shoe drops. I’m all for heath care reform, but I wonder if we can afford it after these bailouts and trillions in deficits. What if a major natural disaster occurs? The Middle East is worse than ever, and a constant drain. They can’t keep printing more money without disastrous consequences. All financial relationships are fair weather. Countries will dump dollars to save their own asses. They are betting everything in Washington on a single strategy and a lot of god damn luck.
It may be true that Mall-Fart best represents our nation. That doesn’t make it good. Nor does it mean that those who say it represents the country think that’s positive.
Uh, #34….whoever you are….
I personally know lots of people who want to raise taxes. Not many who call themselves Libertarians or even libertarians, but scores of people I’ve spoken to over the years. I have even met people who advocate increasing THEIR OWN taxes. So there!
Heck, as my post implies, if we’re going to have them, I am even in favor of raising certain taxes. You see, the idealistic part of my says taxes are theft, and my ideal world wouldn’t have them. But since I’m not a 20 year old anymore, and I have to live in the real world and deal with things that can actually be done before I die, I have a more practical side that tells me that a progressive income tax should at least live up to its name.
Hey Scott!–Yea, its Wallmart from a selected limited list. A kind of push polling given that “most people” know of, shop in, drive by WalMart whereas the other choices have a more limited connection.
Too bad GM was not on the list. Large Failed Corporate America is still very representative–I think it would have been highly selected for this fatally vague question.
For those who don’t want to pay taxes, I invite you to build roads, manage the business of running a city, serve in the army for … and thousands of other jobs. You will obviously do these jobs for free.
The rest of us will keep all the money from our regular jobs and gladly make full use of your free services. Thank you!
A poll? Vanity Fair? You guys will take advantage of ANY excuse to start opining and criticizing each others opinion.
The online poll on CBS’s website looks totally different from the phone poll of 1000.
Walmart – 33%
Google – 21%
Microsoft 11%
NFL – 4%
Goldman Sachs – 2%
None of the Above 26%
I’m sure that by the end of the day “None of the Above” will be leading this poll, which goes to show that ridiculous these choices are.
Use Walmart as Healthcare Provider?
Yes – 29%
No – 70%
Ways to reduce obesity
Fast food tax – 14%
Soft drink tax – 11%
Ban food stamps on high fat food – 36%
Putting scales in resturants – 1%
Tax credit for Liposuction – 1%
None of the Above – 34%
Proposed a tax of 50 percent or higher
Support 56%
Not Support 43%
Recession spending cut back
Vacations 32%
Clothes – 17%
Dining Out – 8%
Alcohol – 6%
None of the Above – 36%
Men: Who would you trade places with?
George Clooney – 31.05%
Barack Obama – 12.98%
Tom Brady – 15.65%
Bruce Springsteen – 7.91%
Don’t know/None – 32.41%
Women: Who would you trade places with?
Michelle Obama – 22.30%
Hillary Clinton -12.44%
Angelina Jolie – 13.78%
Beyonce – 8.21%
Don’t know/None – 43.27%
#39–spsffan==can you read? Read for content–not just the words?
“I” am bobbo. A real name. Not a random collection of nonsense letters.
I tried and failed to direct your attention to “why” taxes are begrudgingly accepted by rational people.
Beneath your surface simplicity, I sense we actually agree. Looks like I’ll have to turn you over to Dr Dodd to discuss the obvious in depth.
Bobbo, Corporate America… yep, that would be a better representative. Corrupt, selfish, cruel… tendencies of human nature that rise to the top with the cream.
Dr. Dodd…. what is the solution for fixing all that is currently wrong with America that should have been implemented when Obama took office, and how would the situation be better now because of it.
Sigh… to all the Americans bitching about high taxes, I say: Hit the road, and don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out. And you know what you’ll find? Other civilized countries have tax rates on the rich higher than ours (and still manage to compete economically, btw). And those places you can go with lower tax rates — well, your savings will be eaten up by such things as bribes to local officials, armed bodyguards, and 12 foot tall walls topped with broken glass around your villa to keep out the desperate poor.
In other words, you have it good here. But you want it better. You want first-world amenities with third-world tax rates. Sorry charlie. You have third-world tax rates, eventually you’re going to end up with a third-world society.
Better start saving now for those armed guards.
So a telephone poll wipes out a huge amount of youth who don’t have a home phone (i.e., cell phone only). Are approximately 1,100 respondents from a random sample enough to represent 300 million Americans?
…just sayin’
LibertyLover
There is a disconnect between what people earn and what they do and that’s the elephant in the room.
The disparity over the rich and poor has changed significantly. The middle class and poor earn less than it did 10 – 20 years ago. The rich earn _much_ more.
Generally I don’t believe they earned it. That only makes sense if some combination of the rich did more, and everybody else did less.
Seems to me they gamed it (which was my bankers example). In a game which they rigged so they can’t lose. Gamed by paying lobbyists. Gamed by getting tax breaks. Gamed by not actually contributing, but doing anything to maximize their personal wealth.
Maybe you truely earn what you pay yourself. If you do, well that’s great.
But I think you’re being it’s a bit naive to think that’s how many people view it. For many people – it doesn’t matter how you got it, its just that you have it. And it doesn’t matter how much you’ve got you always want _and deserve_ more.
So if the top 1% aren’t contributing what they are earning, how’s that supposed to be sorted out? Are we going to wait on their charity as you seem to imply?
Taxes is one way to do that. I admit its a bit crude, and certainly not perfect. Perhaps shareholders should have more control over executive pay. Perhaps big banks should be broken up. There’s other mechanisms than tax.
All the financial melt down has some – has made this all more obvious. And specifically the gaming in the form of privatizing the profits, and socializing the losses.
But the howls of how raising taxes on the rich is going to crush the poor and middle class just isn’t the case.
By society – I don’t mean your customers. I mean the system, of roads, police, laws etc that makes your business possible.
‘It’s not all about you.
You are correct. It’s about my employees, too.’
It seems you only care about them, _because_ they are helping you. Otherwise why specifically highlight them? Not your neighbor. Or anybody else for that matter.
#47–mrshow==are you suggesting that the very same poll taken over twitter would have different results?
Why, THAT implies polls can be rigged.
Shocking!!! I’m sure the polls I approve of are entirely accurate.
#45-JimR-what is the solution for fixing all that is currently wrong with America…
First impeach Obama – it’s a moral imperative.
Lower taxes across the board and offer tax incentives to businesses.
Basically, turn back to Capitalism where true prosperity resides and unchain the entitlement slaves from the government teat.
That should be a good start.
#49–Hey Doodiepants==you forgot do away with interfering burdensome regulations and let children back into the factories and fields the way god meant it to be. Hah, hah.
#47–mrshow==Do you think a poll taken over twitter would give different results?
#50-boob-you forgot do away with interfering burdensome regulations and let children back into the factories.
You’re a cruel, cruel little beetle. You do it your way, I’ll do it mine.
#51–Dr Doodiepants==our Founding Fathers had no problem with the kiddies working in the fields from Sunrise to Sunset, nor in Blacks being put in chains to unleash the full potential of true Capitalism.
Why do you hate America?
Here’s something else that symbolizes the new America. I was watching C-Span for a few minutes this morning, and Steven Cochrane (from Moody’s Economy.com) was discussing a recent report from Moody’s Investor Services which concludes that “for many reasons, the rebound [in housing prices] will be disproportionately small compared to the decline.”
Cochrane was taking telephone questions, and one of the callers did something that seemed poignant. He had a short little rant on how the American dream had been shattered by the financial meltdown, and he seemed about ready to get to his question when he took the phone away from his mouth for a second and yelled, “I’m on the phone, Mom” (still clearly audible on TV).
In the new America, not everyone living with their folks is doing so completely by choice.
#48, There is a disconnect between what people earn and what they do and that’s the elephant in the room.
Does is matter, though? Think about it. What do you care if I make twice what other CEOs make? If the market is willing to pay it, I am going to charge it. Is it jealousy?
The rich earn _much_ more.
I agree. I would look at the Fed. They’ve taken 96% of the value of the dollar since they were formed.
Seems to me they gamed it (which was my bankers example).
Yes they did. And the majority of the American taxpayers want to eat the same jerks they put in office. How stupid is that?
There’s other mechanisms than tax.
You’ve hit the nail on the head. The other mechanism is inflation of the money supply.
But the howls of how raising taxes on the rich is going to crush the poor and middle class just isn’t the case.
As I said, raise my taxes and you’ll be spending more on your bread. It’s not a threat. It’s a fact. I’m not going out business because you have a grudge against the top 1% earners of this country.
By society – I don’t mean your customers. I mean the system, of roads, police, laws etc that makes your business possible.
Oh, you mean the State functions the federal government has blackmailed the states into doing.
In that case, yes, I have used them.
Did you know there are no allowances for the federal government to control businesses? It was left up to the states. Interesting that.
It seems you only care about them, _because_ they are helping you. Otherwise why specifically highlight them? Not your neighbor. Or anybody else for that matter.
Assuming for a moment you are correct, what does it matter? They are using me as well, right? It is a mutually agreed upon transaction. If I am happy and my employees are happy, what does it matter to you?
BTW . . . are you going to answer my question?
bobbo, don’t you know that the higher the tax rate, the lower the actual dollar amount that the government receives? The rich no where the tax brackets are and will will work a few weeks less at the end of the year to avoid moving to the next bracket.
In my state, they raised cigarette taxes another dollar a pack to pay for something. Enough people quit smoking or went on road trips to actually lower the tobacco revenue to the state. Less tobacco is sold, but each pack pays a higher amount in taxes.
Say a businessman owns a business and they make $999,000 in profits. He is almost ready to open a new location. He will hire new staff to man the location and buy new equipment for the new location. However, before he finalizes his plans, Obama signs a tax increase for businesses making over 1 million.
The new location will make more than $1000 in profits and put him in the higher tax bracket, but it won’t make enough to cover the increased taxes on the new location.
The result is the businessman chooses not to build the new location. That keeps the potential employees of the new location from getting new jobs and it prevents the place that builds his equipment from getting new sales. Thus the equipment manufacturer doesn’t pay the taxes on the revenue he doesn’t get because the taxes will cost the owner of the first place more. Plus if taxes didn’t increase for those over $1 million, than he still would have paid more in taxes with the additional income of the new addition.
High taxes slow economic growth. Economic growth increases tax revenue, not the percentage paid in taxes. If you want the rich to pay more in dollars, then lower their taxes. If you want them to pay less in taxes, then increase their tax rate.
As I said, raise my taxes and you’ll be spending more on your bread. It’s not a threat. It’s a fact. I’m not going out business because you have a grudge against the top 1% earners of this country.
No, I’ll be buying bread from your competitor who is taking a smaller profit out of his business than you are. Ignorant greedheads who pass on 100% of their increased costs to their customers will lose business to those who don’t. Any real business owner would realize that basic fact.
#24–LIEBERTY LOSER==if you are referring to the hopelessly retarded question at #24, I would assume no one would answer the question because it is so retarded, they all think you are kidding.
But I know that you are retarded, so I will answer the question for you and other LIEBERTARIANS:
“Your wife has some disease which only the $10,000 in your pocket can purchase the cure for (all other issues are out of the way). Just as you are about to take her to the hospital, 10 strangers come up and ask for that money because that same $10,000 would save their wives.
Would you give the money away and let your wife die or would tell them to take a hike?
It’s a simple question. What do you do?”
1. Under any rational healthcare plan, nobody would need 10K to get a cure that 10 other people need as well. Only retarded for-profit healthcare systems allow this kind of situation.
2. Given there are retards like you who keep advocating this “I got mine, screw YOU” type of social policies, within the hypothetical of the insane world you enjoy fantasizing you excell in: of course, ANYBODY would spend the money on their own wife.
Boy, you take retardation to a new level. Pathetic really.
#56, Then I will be out of business.
However, since I am _still_ in business, and prices have gone up on everything anyway, I guess you couldn’t find that other bread maker, huh?
BTW . . . you never got around to answering my question on selfishness and greed.
So what would you do?
#55–Benji==”bobbo, don’t you know that the higher the tax rate, the lower the actual dollar amount that the government receives?” /// I know that has happened a few time, but my “common sense” tells me that is the exception rather than the rule WITHIN certain economic ranges and given lengths of time. Benji==you “might” be right, but until you/anyone really prove that by extensive analysis, I will continue to think that it is rare that x = y and that more often is is x in variance with a,b,c,d and other unknowns that results in y in variance with n,o,p,q and other unknowns. Things for those who aren’t zealots are normally more complex and layered.
but yea==give yourself a rising period of productivity and slight tax cuts can produce increases in revenue==not as much as if the tax had not been cut mind you. Answer me this==if your formula is correct, why not cut taxes by 10% each year eventually getting to zero taxes and watch the revenue just roll in.
Do you see how you don’t make any sense at all?
#56, No because the other bread companies’ expenses change too and they will be raising their price, or making less bread, or substituting with cheaper ingredients.
Maybe they will just make the packaging slightly smaller and sell less bread at the same price. That way the look like the good guy because they aren’t raising the price, but they are selling less product for the same price. See this article on size shrinkage: http://newsweek.com/id/156172