I am 110% in favor of stealing from the rich to give to the poor. In fact, I dont think we take nearly enough from them.
Do the very wealthy actually earn their money with their labor? No. Not for the most part.....maybe some actors or artists or screen writers or sports celebrities do, but the very very wealthy are not getting paid for their labor...that is not where the REAL money comes from....they are profiting off the labor of others. Their money is increased through practices of usury and exploitation, paying their workers less than the value of their labor, exporting jobs to third world countries and STILL not paying even THEM a living wage. They pull scams shifting money around, letting some of their subsidiaries tank along with their debts while reaping the full benefits as their other companies stocks are through the roof....and they know this. Its all insider trading. With the person hood of corporations, individuals lose most of their accountability and we end up handing out poor peoples tax money to already profitable industries like the oil companies....record profits and we need to increase their subsidies to keep prices down? Give me a fucking break.
If you ask me, I think we should just throw them all in prison and take ever last dime, and put them to work in a prison steel yard.....I am not talking about people who made a lot of money with their own labor and skill, I am talking about people who profit via usury and exploitation, which is how most of the richest 00.0001% got where they are and stay there.
And yes, we can take that money and give it to drug rehabs and other clinics...I mean, why are conservatives ok with using tax dollars for prisons, but rehabs which are cheaper are a waste of tax payers money? Its absurd.
I personally dont like how Methadone makes me feel, and I have friends who tell me that tapering on methadone is harder than tapering off heroin, but I believe these decisions should be between doctors and patients, not law makers looking to save a buck by screwing the poor and those who need help.
Every "Rich" person I have ever known has worked their ass off and made lot's of sacrifices to become "rich"
They pay most of the taxes that subsidize numerous social service programs and pay well over 50% of their income into taxes.
Punishing people for working hard, contributing to society, creating jobs and increasing tax revenues makes zero sense.
Society would collapse within months.
Not every "rich" person made their money by exploiting other people.
That's the exception, not the rule.
The media never talks about the person who scrimps and saves for years and years to start a business, works 12-18 hours a day for years, risks everything, works hard, makes personal sacrifices, etc...to become "rich"
I've seen refugee's from Viet Nam come to the US who spoke very little English, yet they worked hard and sacrificed and became "rich"
Why should they have to support people who choose to sit on the couch all day watching TV?
Where's the fairness in that?
You can't mandate equality.
And people who work will be payed for what they are worth to their employer.
Anyone who has ever ran a business knows that the concept of a "living wage" is a fantasy.
If you own a small business with 20 FT employee's, and your net yearly profit is 75k per year, what happens when government mandates that you have to give your employee's a $1.00 per hour raise?
Do the math. You either have to lay people off (bad) raise the price(s) for your product/service (bad) or go out of business. (Again, bad)
While a small percentage of people are victims of circumstances beyond their control, most "poor" people are in their situation by the choices they have made in life.
The few "very rich" people I've met/known became that way by hard work, sacrifice and by providing a valuable product/service that betters society.
Off topic, but again, my random .02 cents.
BTW, I've tapered off of 10 years of daily Methadone maintanance and it can be a long process, but not painful if done right.
Most people try to go by a set schedule instead of going by what is right for them and everyone is different.