There's been talk going around on if the wealthiest tax payers should pay more in taxes to help the government earn revenue. Many people agree with increase in taxes, calling it a "fair" tax system. They make more, therefore they can afford to give up what they earned. Fair?
I was going through some articles yesterday and came across an article that was similar to the tax argument. Subject? Football. No, not the NFL. Peewee football. An Arkansas peewee football league reinstated the "Madre Hill Rule", restricting young players from scoring more than three touchdowns a game if they're up by 14 points. This rule was in place to restrict players like Demias Jimerson, an 11 year old running back who just happened to be more skilled than children his age. Demias seemed very well mannered and handled the new rule with maturity. Kudos to the kid and to the parents for raising a child with values. But that doesn't excuse the league for restraining the boy from excelling to new levels as an athlete.
Last year in Canada, a soccer league containing kids ages four to eighteen, set a similar rule for teams who outmatched their opponents: win the game by more than five points, it's an automatic loss. Bruce Cappon, the father of one of the soccer players expressed his frustration to the media.
"Everyone wants a close game, nobody wants blowouts, but we don't want to go by those farcical rules that they come up with," he said. "Heaven forbid when these kids get into the real world. They won't be prepared to deal with the competition out there."Couldn't have said it any better.
Since when did our society restrain success instead of encouraging it? It's appalling and absurd. We should direct ourselves towards achievement, instead of bringing others down to what is interpreted as a "fair" level. I'll be damned if I ever allow someone to inform my child to slow down in any area they excel in - whether it's sports, education or work. The sky is the limit and they should aim high. But that isn't how it is. We're supposed to pity the less fortunate and punish the ones who succeed. Instilling that in everyone's minds only sets them up for failure.
I would say a good percentage of people all share a common goal: make money. And lot's of it. However, not everyone has the same drive and motivation to attain the goals they set for themselves, with only a small percentage able to fulfill their dreams of financial success. But wait... there's a roadblock for that small percentage. It's called taxes.
Our current and previous White House administration, Congress (remember: it takes two to tango) and the Federal Reserve have borrowed, printed, and spent a massive amount of money, continuing to inflate the dollar and skyrocket the U.S debt. Yet somehow, the same people in Washington deem it necessary that the top earners should pay their "fair" share by paying more in taxes. Through our progressive tax system, the highest tax bracket already pays 35% of their income in income taxes versus the 10% earned by the lowest bracket, but President Obama and many Democrats want to raise the percentage through the "American Job's Act". Is that fair?
Never mind that millionaires only make up .2% of all tax payers (that leaves 99.8% that don't make over $1 million) while also paying 21% of all income tax. Never mind that the top 1% pays more than the bottom 95% combined while only earning 28% of the wealth. Never mind that the bottom 49% of taxpayers pay absolutely nothing in income taxes. Let's talk about "fairness". "Should we punish those who succeed?"
The answer is no. We are known for our accomplishments and achievements. We're better people when we strive to be our best, while allowing others to succeed as well. Failure will always come and go. It's what's taken from those failures that makes people smarter and able to attain success through hard work and perseverance. Want to make it fair? In the words of hip-hop artist Chamillionaire: "Get on my level". When everyone works for success - THAT is fair.
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