Nobody is disputing that some areas cost more to live in that others. Nobody is disputing that $xxk goes farther in West Overshoe, NE than in Tokyo. That doesn't change the fact that income taxes are based on income, a person with an income of $200k is in the top 2-3% of incomes in the US, those people are paying lower tax rates than the top 2-3% were paying 3 decades ago, and the people making around median income or less (who you claim are getting a "free ride") hardly improved economically since the 1980s while those at the top did very well.

Changing the subject to costs of living is a distraction. Obviously there are benefits to living in areas with high costs of living, too.

The top 2-3% again paying taxes at rates that were in place during the time when the US middle class had decades of increasing incomes and wealth is not a "penalty".

HTH.

Cheers,
Scott.