Well I'm pretty amazed.... The story I read was about the rich guy who didn't like the way he was being treated and moved. That doesn't sound like a victim to me.
I realize that being a conservative I see things differently but I'm still surprised. Atlas shrugged and everyone who read about it wanted to talk about something else. On another point could anyone out there tell me why they know "the poor (are) getting poorer? I have been in this crappy city for almost 20 years and I have spent a lot of it with poor people. I've got houses at 55th and Woodland and I coach at 50th and Kingsessing. Every poor person I know is overweight, has 3 color TVs, spends more on their hair and nails in a week than I do in 3 months. I wouldn't want to live like they do (other than the sleep till noon and drink when you wake up part) but I don't see how in the past 20 years it has gotten worse. 20 years ago the poor I met had a color TV, a VCR, a Nintendo, and a Section 8 voucher. Now they have 3 TVs (one at least 42", a VCR, a DVD, a Gameboy, An X Box, a Section 8 voucher, a school program that pays them to go to College or some other kind of school. I just don't see where they are worse off. When I was growing up in the 60's there was a guy in the neighborhood who had a TV that got 13 channels, a movie theater, air conditioning, and a phone in his car. People like that were called rich in 1964. 40 years later we call them people on public assistance. I guess a few people reading this are going to fly off the handle and I really don't care. What I am asking for is a scholarly and documented response. I don't think because I spend a few days a week working with "poor people" that I know everything. Show me what you got and if I'm wrong I'm OK with that. I get to learn something. Andrew Gentsch Charter Member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy > So true the rich as victims. Yet, the middle class falls for this > line over and over and over..... > Look who is running the country > > -----Original Message----- > From: David Nicklin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Mar 8, 2004 1:43 PM > To: University City List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: RE: [UC] Interesting: Taxes in perspective ... > > An amusing story, which has been circulating for years (see > http://www.snopes.com/business/taxes/howtaxes.asp) - mostly by right wing > advocates of the affluent. > > The accuracy of the numbers is in doubt. At least a few of the very > richest would be included in those who are paying nothing for lunch. And > even minimum wage workers pay social security, state and local taxes - no > free lunch for them. In fact, a much higher percentage of low income > workers discretionary (not for essentials) income goes for taxes. > > As the gap between the very affluent and the poor in the US has widened > substantially over the past 2 decades, both by the rich getting richer and > the poor getting poorer, it seems unlikely that the rich are being gravely > compromised the tax system, or that the poor are making out like bandits. > > The conclusion of the story, that through our tax system the rich are > victimized by the poor, is not just untrue; it is ridiculous. > > > > >> -----Original Message----- >> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of William H. Magill >> Sent: Saturday, March 06, 2004 3:35 PM >> To: University City List >> Subject: [UC] Interesting: Taxes in perspective ... >> >> >> Begin forwarded message: >>> Sometimes Politicians can exclaim; "It's just a tax cut for the >>> rich!", and >>> it is just accepted to be fact. But what does that really mean? Just >>> in case >>> you are not completely clear on this issue, we hope the following will >>> help. >>> >>> Tax Cuts - A Simple Lesson In Economics >>> >>> This is how the cookie crumbles. Please read it carefully. >>> >>> Let's put tax cuts in terms everyone can understand. Suppose that >>> every day, >>> ten men go out for dinner. The bill for all ten comes to $100. If >>> they paid >>> their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this: >>> >>> The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing. >>> The fifth would pay $1. >>> The sixth would pay $3. >>> The seventh $7. >>> The eighth $12. >>> The ninth $18. >>> The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59. >>> >>> So, that's what they decided to do. >>> >>> The ten men ate dinner in the restaurant every day and seemed quite >>> happy >>> with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. >>> >>> "Since you are all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce >>> the >>> cost of your daily meal by $20." >>> >>> So, now dinner for the ten only cost $80. The group still wanted to >>> pay their >>> bill the way we pay our taxes. >>> >>> So, the first four men were unaffected. >>> They would still eat for free. But what about the other six, the >>> paying >>> customers? How could they divvy up the $20 windfall so that everyone >>> would >>> get his 'fair share'? >>> >>> The six men realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. >>> But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man >>> and the >>> sixth man would each end up being 'PAID' to eat their meal. >>> >>> So, the restaurant owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce >>> each man's >>> bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the >>> amounts each >>> should pay. >>> >>> And so: >>> >>> The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings). >>> The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33% savings). >>> The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28% savings). >>> The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings). >>> The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings). >>> The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings). >>> >>> Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four >>> continued to >>> eat for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to >>> compare >>> their savings. >>> >>> "I only got a dollar out of the $20," declared the sixth man. >>> He pointed to the tenth man "but he got $10!" >>> >>> "Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar, >>> too. >>> It's unfair that he got ten times more than me!" >>> >>> "That's true!!" shouted the seventh man. >>> "Why should he get $10 back when I got only $2? The wealthy get all >>> the breaks!" >>> >>> "Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison. >>> "We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!" >>> >>> The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up. >>> >>> The next night the tenth man didn't show up for dinner, so the nine sat >>> down and ate without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they >>> discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between >>> all of them for even half of the bill! >>> >>> And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how >>> our >>> tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most >>> benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being >>> wealthy, and they just may not show up at the table anymore. >>> >>> There are lots of good restaurants in Europe and the Caribbean. >>> >>> David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D. >>> Distinguished Professor of Economics >>> 536 Brooks Hall >>> University of Georgia >> >> T.T.F.N. >> William H. Magill >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> >> ---- >> You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the >> list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see >> <http://www.purple.com/list.html>. >> ---- >> You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the >> list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see >> <http://www.purple.com/list.html>. > > David E. Nicklin, M.D. > Medical Director, Penn Family Care > University of Pennsylvania Department of Family Practice and Community > Medicine > 51 N. 39th Street/Mutch Building > Philadelphia, PA 19104 > [EMAIL PROTECTED] Phone: 215-662-8949 (admin) 215-662-8777 > (clinical) Fax: 215-243-3290 > > CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is > for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential > and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or > distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please > contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original > message. > > ---- ---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see <http://www.purple.com/list.html>.
