http://ntu.org/tax-basics/who-pays-income-taxes.html
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Nearly-half-of-US-households-apf-1105567323.html?x=0&.v=1
http://www.taxfoundation.org/news/show/250.html
The numbers very between the first and the second just for the sake of arguement we can use the lower one its in table one of the 3rd link, that data is from the IRS, top 1 percent pays pays 38% of income tax burden (only possesses 20% of income) and the cut off is 380,000 USD, top 5 pays 59%(only possesess 35%) about 160,000 USD is cut off, the top 10 pays 70%(only possessess 46%) the cut off is 114,000 USD, to 25 pays 86%(67% of income) 67,000 USD is cut off, top 50 pays 97%(87% of all income) 33,000 is cut off. Bottom 50% pays about 3% of income tax burden(13% of all income).
Now if you read that wall of text your will notice a trend the rich are paying there 'fair share' its the poor who are not at least in terms on income tax other taxes do hit them for some tax burden such as sales so that should not be discounted. If income is a barometer of being 'rich' then they are paying their fair share by far. The numbers are in less depth at the first link, the third though is IRS data that closely matches the first. The second link is just some food for thought about the lower income brakets paying no minimal income tax due to deductions and such.
"The bottom 40 percent, on average, make a profit from the federal income tax, meaning they get more money in tax credits than they would otherwise owe in taxes. For those people, the government sends them a payment."
A quote from the second article
Now I think as a whole we have moved away from the entire topic and have moved solely into a discussion of income rather then other demands. Now I'm going to briefly outline the demands as best I understand them and ask for explainations for myself and everyone else for other less clear demands the demands are as quoted by SunnyC...
"They have taken our houses through an illegal foreclosure process, despite not having the original mortgage." This now I am unfamiliar with, mabye someone could enlighten me to such a situation I have never heard of such an occurence. There idea of illegal may be very much legal as it probably is they probably find it unjust, but thats just and asumption and you know what they say about assumptions they make an *** out of you and me.
"They have taken bailouts from taxpayers with impunity, and continue to give Executives exorbitant bonuses." Yes, sadly true, but one would argue that such bailouts never should have been given in the first place or how helpful they really could have been.
"They have perpetuated inequality and discrimination in the workplace based on age, the color of one’s skin, sex, gender identity and sexual orientation."
Not a reason to form such a protest if such a claim exists and is legitimate it should stand in a court of law there are more then enough such laws on the book to protect them.
"They have poisoned the food supply through negligence, and undermined the farming system through monopolization." If the food supply is poisoned why not address it else where I think we did something about this in back at the turn of the last century Progressive Era and such. As for monopoly anti-trust law again fruits of that era in politics, though I question whether it is a true 'monopoly'. I will admit my knowledge of farming is limited, though I did discuss corn combines at lunch just today.
"They have profited off of the torture, confinement, and cruel treatment of countless nonhuman animals, and actively hide these practices."
We talking like medical testing or what, lab rats, monkeys, cats, and pigs. Or are they talking about the rearing of animals within systematic facilities for consumption, now if this is the case then don't eat meat except for free range I don't know what to tell you but protest come on.
"They have continuously sought to strip employees of the right to negotiate for better pay and safer working conditions."
Work is usually safer then every day life alot more accidents happan on the weekend work places are if anything pretty darn safe with noted exception I am sure but exceptions none the less. Pay well they can select pay or there jobs really I work for minimum wage and I'm a student sounds like this demographic but you don't see me protesting against companies. The reason I don't do this is like I said pay or job you can pick.
"They have held students hostage with tens of thousands of dollars of debt on education, which is itself a human right."
While it is true that it is near impossible to escape student loans, remember no one said you had to go to that college. I will use myself and my sister as an example my sister pays only about a thousand a year for state school after fed aid and grants and I am applying to schools and recieveing offers for things like half tuition just in merit, with estimated school provided need paying all tuition or most of it and federal paying part of room and board along with private organizations paying more of it. For the record I have no college fund. While mearly my experience and that of my sister I think it attests to the fact that you can go to a school on the cheap and get a degree. As for education being a right yeah it is, its called high school do well in it and your can get money in college, schools are very generous in my experience you just got to make sure you do well schools don't want you to not attend because you are 'too poor'.
"They have consistently outsourced labor and used that outsourcing as leverage to cut workers’ healthcare and pay."
Again please provide informaton if you know any about this, I mean this in the nicest way possible. Outsourcing is in itself its own topic, but the effect of outsourcing is low prices which these people are likely benefiting from, no one likes outsourcing but its legal.
"They have influenced the courts to achieve the same rights as people, with none of the culpability or responsibility."
Corporations being composed of people are protected by the same rights, I would argue that buisness men are usually held responsible for thier actions and again if it is illegal report them don't sit a protest, be your own advocate.
"They have spent millions of dollars on legal teams that look for ways to get them out of contracts in regards to health insurance."
Legitimate claim, but I doubt they spent millions on a single case, if paying the health insurance is cheaper they will they are driven by self-intrest just like everyone else. They are not siting around thinking of ways to screw you out of your insurance cause it will cost them ten times more to fight it. If you want to close loop holes I guess its a legit protest.
"They have sold our privacy as a commodity."
Yeah sadly true, bet you didn't read that contract though when you signed up for whatever all those contract things on the computer are you know binding, they have the right to do it cause you told them they could(at least in most situtions, if you did not then civil suit). Is it wrong yes, but they do it only with your permission, if they are doing it otherwise again you have a case.
"They have used the military and police force to prevent freedom of the press."
So corporations control the military and police you say, they had best hope that is not true if it is true they would already have been wiped off the streets by riot police, they do something illegal though its all over even in a lawful society. Then again if they really controlled the press I would not know about it unless I experienced it personally.
"They have deliberately declined to recall faulty products endangering lives in pursuit of profit."
Civil Suit? (its getting repetative)
"They determine economic policy, despite the catastrophic failures their policies have produced and continue to produce."
Absolutly correct the idea of bail outs and stimulus is flawed we should let the market work, Adam Smith would be proud.
"They have donated large sums of money to politicians supposed to be regulating them."
Laws are on the book saying they should be regulated, so campaign finance reform, sounds legitimate enough, what would you do to reform please try to brief not trying to make this the entire topic of this thing.
"They continue to block alternate forms of energy to keep us dependent on oil."
It is these same people who are likely against the most immediate solutions to the problem, Marcellus shale(which is 'greener'). Solar, hydro, and wind are not that feasible in there current form, ask Solyndra and Boon T. Pickens(I believe that is his name).
"They continue to block generic forms of medicine that could save people’s lives in order to protect investments that have already turned a substantive profit."
There are generics on the market and if anything the FDA is what keeps them off, but mabye I'm wrong I don't claim to be an expert with this medicine stuff. If you can provide information for everyone please do.
"They have purposely covered up oil spills, accidents, faulty bookkeeping, and inactive ingredients in pursuit of profit."
Talk to the DEP or EPA or FDA, but again not an expert please explain things namely inactive ingredients and oil spills/accidents.
"They purposefully keep people misinformed and fearful through their control of the media."
Where do they get there information, joe shmoes crush corporations blog, they have been exposed to the same media sources and likely use one of them or rely on some sort of blog for information. Then again I'm just a brainwashed victem of the mainstream media.
"They have accepted private contracts to murder prisoners even when presented with serious doubts about their guilt."
This, I would really like an explaination of what they are refering too. If you can produce and example.
"They have perpetuated colonialism at home and abroad."
What exactly would colonialism at home be? As for abroad if you call Afganistan and Iraq colonialism then sure but colonialism "is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by colonizers from the metropole. Colonialism is a set of unequal relationships between the metropole and the colony and between the colonists and the indigenous population." albeit from wikipedia unless soldiers are colonists its not colonialism, this is just semantics but imperialism may have been a better phrase.
"They have participated in the torture and murder of innocent civilians overseas."
This is another one that I want specification about, please if you know would you kindly share legitimate sources only.
"They continue to create weapons of mass destruction in order to receive government contracts.*"
Finally the last one...by mass destruction I assume they refer to things that are not really WMD's but rather things like jets, tanks, ordinance, and assault rifles. So they want know military at all, or they want the gov to make it themselves? They want know war ever not even in defense that sound safe am I right. At the risk of sounding silly this reminds me of the episode of the Simpsons where all the guns are destroyed for some long dead guys will and then he rises from the dead and uses guns to oppress them, he was a cow boy or something. The point of that fictional microcosm is that you have no weapons someone with weapons is going to try to oppress or take advantage of you. "Speak softly, carry a big stick" Teddy Roosevelt(likely a misquote though).
Now that that is said and done, please respond where you will but do so with legitimate sources for the good of thread, try not to address one thing if you can point out multiple arguements rather then the entire thread being about one of their numerous grievances.