For the liberals who say rich don't pay enough taxes...

[The Dude]

Best part about his non-sequitor about 100% tax it can be turned around.

Why tax those making $60k+ anything at all? Just don't tax them. Economy will be wonderful.

[Sazari]

[Davethulhu]

[Hyperion]

About 20,000 people in the U.S. make more than $10,000,000 in gross income per year. I wonder what would happen to other brackets if we created a truly progressive system and we didn't try to differentiate between 'earned income' and 'investments'?

The federal budget and discretionary spending counts for something like 15% of our GDP. Its really in 'over-taxing' people is really overemphasized. I think it should be around 10% and the states/locals/school districts should make up an additional 15% as an aggregate.

[uebermann]

[exploited]

[Nico]

[Spider]

Aside from computers/software/devices we don't do all that much with consumer products anymore. I don't expect that to change.

We'll probably be staying macro in terms of industrial output. Aerospace, semiconductors, industrial machinery, medical/pharma, energy (US to become largest oil and gas producer quite soon) etc etc.

Exports have actually been hitting records recently....well over 2 trillion dollars worth, outstripping most else in the economy. We aren't going to be selling electric can openers to anyone anytime soon, but that hardly matters. If Sony can avoid bankruptcy long enough to produce a microprocessor better than Intel, we'll have a different conversation.

As to cutting military spending...sounds great...but for reasons I've been over countless times, its just a bandaid. It doesn't solve anything at all.

[The Dude]

[Kane]