I once had a $900 paycheck for 1 week's work. I took home close to $700. It came out to 22.5% of my money. Is that too much or not enough? It depends on who's money it is, doesn't it?

People have been programmed to hate the wealthy. Why? Because they earn their money and have nice things. Nobody EVER thinks about what that 'rich' person went thru to get to the point in life that they are at. Quite a few went to school for their education. Some worked a part-time job while going to school. MOST have college loans that they have to pay off. Yes, there are some who get their schooling on mommy and daddy's dime. So what? If a wealthy person wants to send their kid to college and get the education they want their child to have, it's their business....not mine or anyone elses.

What i hate is that people complain that the rich don't need a tax cut. They make enough money. Bullshit! I'll tell ya, if i'm in the upper echelon and get whacked for 37% of MY money (that DOESN'T include SS and Medicare), then i want more of MY money back. The Bush tax cut only dropped the upper echelon to 35% anyway. Oooh. What a drop. I might add that in addition to the 37% rate, they pay SS and Medicare and then the rate rises to around 50% to 60% of their money gone. THAT IS INSANE!

I don't want to come off like i think poor folks shouldn't get help, but there are people who DON'T want to better themselves. They want to sit around, bitch and moan because they don't have that Mercedes. Well, get off your duff and go work for it.

NOBODY is guaranteed to be rich. Nobody is guaranteed to be poor either. What they ARE guaranteed is the right to pursue their dream. Anyone can be whatever they want. But at the same time, nobody is guaranteed to be Bill Gates either. We take our lumps and deal with it.

Someone i know bitched because they didn't get the $300 tax rebate check in 2001 when they were going out in the mail. What they didn't realize (or tell anyone) is that they got $3,800 or more EVERY year from Earned Income Credit. They didn't pay ANY taxes at all, but got $3,000 of someone elses money.

Which leads me to another point. This latest round of tax cuts (actually, it's the EXPEDIENCY of the 2001 cuts) gives a $400 rebate to people with children. $400 for each rug rat. Cool, huh? Yep. They also get a tax CREDIT which knocks off some of the money they would probably pay in the next tax cycle. Well, some in Congress feel that there's some Americans that have kids and won't get a rebate. Yep that's right, but they don't pay TAXES either. And i guarantee you that they get a shitload every year in EIC. Every year. The others will also say that they pay SS, Medicare and (in some cases) property taxes. Well i hate to tell ya, but those AREN'T Federal Income Taxes. Period.

Do the wealthy have to give to charity? Nope. Should they? Depends if they want to. Bill Gates gives quite a bit to charity. Great for him. It's his decision and his money, not mine or anyone elses.

There's some who want the rich to pay for everything. I'll tell you right now, that's Socialism. Socialism is when the gov't takes your money and divvy's it out to the rest of the population in order to be "fair". IS that fair? Hell, no! All men are created equal, they say. Well, not all men will make as much as the next guy or gal. It has nothing to do with being 'created' equal. This argument from people across our land that want to equalize society is very dangerous. V.I. Lenin had the same idea back in the early 1900s. He succeeded with the Soviet Union. What was the Soviet's full title of their country? The Union of Soviet *Socialist* Republics. Also, Nazi Germany was socialist. Nazi in English was the National *Socialist* Workers Party. Cuba is socialist. Socialism endgame IS communism.

If anyone cares to study our Constitution, it will show you that there is to be LESS government, not more. Government DOES NOT have the right to guide anyone's life. Government is NOT anyone's provider, but it's getting that way....and it's sad AND scary at the same time.