Re:Punish those who work hard (Score 1)

I'm terribly sorry, but taxes are not the way to "feed some of your money back into the system." The "system" that you refer to is the economic body of the country of which the government is a part, but it is NOT the whole.

As such, when you are taxed, your money goes into a directed entity which decides what the economy is, and spends accordingly (rather bass-ackwards, but it's the way it is). That is called a "planned economy," and is not an object of capitalism. That is either good or bad as you view it.

So what is the alternative to taxation? Well, money that a person has made does not go in their mattress, to be squirreled away forever. Usually, it goes into the non-government financial system (banks, stock, etc), where it pays for investments. Do you have a mortgage? The interest rates on loans are dependant upon the amount of money that is invested in that bank. Not by the government. If you increase taxes, you also increase interest rates on loans.

And one other thing. Many people forget anything beyond the fact that the national debt is owed to Americans (mostly). The form in which this is "owed" is government bonds. Government bonds are bought as long-term investments by people. Not tax dollars. It's where government money comes from (that's not garnered through taxes).

So, if you want to "feed some of your money back into the system" do nothing with it. Leave it in the bank. Or invest in the stock market. Go crazy down at the shopping mall (remember: increased cash flow from consumer spending does more for the economy than the government). Whatever.

Taxes merely reduce freedom of choice (doing what you want with your resources) and increase costs all around.

This is basic economics, folks.