I was too terse.
I agree with all you said. With the caveat that someone making, say, $20k a year and trying to support a family doesn't need to be paying higher taxes to the federal government.
As a whole, the country needs to pay more, but we need to be selective.
For example, the mortgage interest deduction needs to be phased out. Capital gains taxes need to be increased. Other "tax expenditures" (which cost $1.2T per year) need to be carefully examined as well - http://www.americanp...enditures101.html
When politicians down here say "everyone needs to contribute" they're feeding the right-wing meme that low income people in the US don't pay taxes. They're wrong - low income people in the US do pay taxes, and they pay a larger percentage of their income in taxes than many other groups. They just don't pay federal income taxes if their income is low enough.
Making someone who earns, say, $20k a year pay higher federal income taxes isn't going to solve the federal budget problems. "Everyone" doesn't need to chip in - too many have suffered while the rich benefitted excessively over the last 30 years.
That's what I was getting at. :-)
Cheers,
Scott.
