Tax Rates & Benefits

This morning Thom Hartmann's daily screed made an interesting point:

Quote :

The glue holding this logic together was the then-top marginal income tax rate. In 1963, the top marginal income tax rate was 90%. What that did was encourage CEOs to keep more money in their businesses: to invest in new technology, to pay their workers more, to hire new workers and expand.
After all, what’s the point of sucking millions and millions of dollars out of your business if it’s going to be taxed at 90%?

So here's my thought.  Prior to Reagan lowering the top tax rate to 28% in 1980, the top wage earners were also some of the people paying the most to support the government. Us little people paid our share, but we didn't pay ALL of it.

Since 1980, rich people no longer contribute to the costs of running the nation.  They are essentially freeloaders, taking all of the benefits (disproportionally) and paying none of the costs.  Meanwhile the lowest wage earners pay the lion's share of the nation's bills, while deriving none (disproportionally) of the benefits.

So how about if we tie the vote to your taxes? If you pay zero taxes you don't get to vote. If you pay 33% or 50% of your income to taxes, you get two votes.