Are wealthy people who gladly pay tax socialists?

[Swede]

There are rich people that pay their taxes,don't look for loopholes,and donate a huge percentage of their earnings to charities.

[gizmo1979]

1. No, Americans.

[smoogatz]

2. They're oxymorons.

n/t

[Cleita]

3. Considering all the tax breaks they get, even with

Democrats in power and the fact that charitable contributions generate tax breaks, I think you have to go a ways before calling them socialists. They are a couple of notches above neo-cons though.

[simcha_6]

4. More than a couple of notches

If they support socialist policies, yes. If they don't, they aren't. We can't blame them for getting a good deal on tax breaks either, unless they legislated the law themselves. And, personally, I'd rather see their money going to good charities than the government. What percentage do we spend on defense again?

[Cleita]

5. I'm not a really charity loving person although they do help

in the absence of good government social programs like most Scandanavian countries have. My reasons are that it is humiliating for those in need to have to ask for charity. Charities are narrow in their scope and many get left out. Religions often have strings tied or are unable to provide certain services for religious reasons.

The affluent seem to have to throw expensive balls and events to generate interest in contributions. In my community alone, there is a big event for the country club crowd for a dinner theatre affair to benefit the local abused women's shelter. Yes, it's a worthwhile cause but do we really need a big ostentatious event for it?

[simcha_6]

6. Check out Heifer Project International

They have domestic and international programs. Awesome organization that empowers people, so the shame of asking for help isn't permanent. And it isn't narrow in scope either, it helps a lot and affecccts a lot.

<http://www.heifer.org>

[American Tragedy]

7. My father is like that, though he wouldn't call himself a socialist.

He's said many times that although he almost always objects to how the money is appropriated, especially when it funds violent intervention in Latin America and the Middle East, he will never complain about paying higher income tax, nor should anyone who is financially comfortable. Even if they took more than half, he would still be in far better shape than the overwhelming majority of Americans.

Of course, I suppose that fact alone makes him automatically evil in the eyes of some here.

Anyway, I think it's pretty radical to suggest that progressive income tax constitutes socialism.

[ultraist]

8. No. They are only Socialists if they give away MOST of their money

If they are donating a small portion of their net worth, they are FAR from socialists.

[prodigal_green]

9. they are people

who understand that their wealth was created with the massive use of U.S. infrastructure.

check out: http://www.responsiblewealth.org

[ultraist]

10. "Self serving 'self made' sucess"

cool site! my husband will love it.

http://www.responsiblewealth.org/press/2004/Forbes400_pr.html
Forbes 400 Richest Americans: They Didn't Do It Alone
Private Wealth Counts on Public Investment, Infrastructure
Download the report "I Didn't Do It Alone" PDF 280 KB

"Self-serving stories of 'self-made' success may nourish the ego, but they mask the real ingredients of wealth creation and a strong economy. Where would the Forbes 400 be without public investment and infrastructure – from Google founders building on the Internet to Ross Perot and government contracts?"
—Chuck Collins, co-founder of Responsible Wealth

According to the just-released Forbes 400 list of richest Americans, 39 percent inherited at least some of their wealth and "the rest have self-made fortunes."

In fact, says Responsible Wealth, everyone on the Forbes 400 owes their wealth partly to a taxpayer-financed inheritance of public research and contracts; public schools and universities; communications, transportation and other critical infrastructure, and myriad government institutions from the Federal Reserve and the courts to the Treasury, Defense and Commerce Departments.

"It takes a village to raise a billionaire. Every taxpayer deserves some credit for Forbes 400 wealth," says Mike Lapham, co-director of Responsible Wealth. "Yet while the Forbes 400 richest Americans are doing better this year – their collective wealth rose $45 billion since 2003 – the average taxpayer is not. Median household income fell for the fourth year in a row last year."

Billionaires Warren Buffett, Ross Perot and Google's Larry Page illustrate the myth of the "self-made" label. They are all featured in Responsible Wealth's report, "I Didn't Do It Alone: Society's Contribution to Individual Wealth and Success." Warren Buffett, No. 2 on the Forbes 400, attended a publicly supported state school, the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, and is quite clear that his investment wealth depends on America's social and economic infrastructure. "I personally think that society is responsible for a very significant percentage of what I've earned," said Buffett. "I happen to work in a market system that happens to reward what I do very well – disproportionately well."

##########

I wish they would have noted institutionalized racism and sexism that helped pave the way for them too. This is a good start though.

[tolseq]

11. no...just socially aware

no...just socially aware people...

[newyawker99]

13. Hi tolseq!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[SmartBomb]

12. Conservative Rich are engines of the economy, Progressive Rich are

LIMOUSINE LIBERALS!

As best as I can tell, freeper logic goes something like this:

All liberals are socialists

Therefore

All rich liberals are hypocrites

[mmonk]

14. That's what my

successful business father always did and taught me the same. The "new money" business people coming around since the 80's though, have swallowed the rightwing's tax cult thought processes.