Taxing Rant

When it is possible for people who claim to be worth BILLIONS, and have income of millions to not pay any federal income tax, even to claim that doing so makes them "smart" it is time to revise the tax code.  Anyone who makes millions, should contribute to the cost of running the Country that makes it possible to run a business that makes enables them to make millions.  

I was disturbed by the fact that my father who pays no taxes and makes about the same amount as my middle brother who is a truck driver and my brother pays a fair amount in federal income tax (I prepared his returns for a decade.) The difference is not in ability to pay, it is in the source of the income.  We need to fix this. 

We have two good incomes, we pay more in taxes today, than either of us made 25 years ago when we met.  And I am okay with that.  We can afford it, and it takes a lot of money to run good government - and despite it's foibles we have good government.  If you don't think so, look at Kenya, or Somalia and any of a hundred other hell-holes around the world with corrupt governments that are incapable of providing even the most basic services.  We also under-fund our governments.  We see the failings of crumbling infrastructure caused by chronic under-funding while demanding new - instead of maintaining the existing.