Hard work = $250,000 ?
Find a Conversation
| Fri, 10-24-2008 - 9:07am |
I’ve read repeatedly that the $250,000 is hard earned money that the government has no right to tax. Personally, I don’t believe that hard work consistently results in high salaries and I’m not convinced that people who make more money work harder or deserve more than most people. Most people, I believe, do work hard and most people are rewarded with 25,000 – 45,000 salary. Not all some hard workers make more and some make less. What do you think? Is the Just World view valid?
http://www.princeton.edu/~rbenabou/beliefs7csend.pdf
most people have a strong need to believe that they live in a world that is just, in the sense that people generally get what they deserve, and deserve what they get. When confronted with data that contradicts this view they try hard to ignore, reinterpret, distort, or forget it —for instance by finding imaginary merits to the recipients of fortuitous rewards, or assigning blame to innocent victims.
Because of their imperfect willpower, individuals constantly strive to motivate themselves (or their children) towards effort, educational investment, perseverance in the face of adversity, and away from the slippery slope of idleness, welfare dependency, crime, drugs, etc. This is another recurrent finding from the sociological evidence. In such circumstances, maintaining somewhat rosy beliefs about the fact that everyone will ultimately get their “just deserts” can be very valuable. Furthermore, if enough individuals end up with the view that economic success is highly dependent on effort, they will ultimately represent a pivotal voting block, and set a low tax rate. Conversely, when individuals anticipate that society will carry out little redistribution, the costs of a deficient motivation to effort or savings are much higher than with high taxes and
a generous safety net. Each individual thus has greater incentives to maintain his belief that effort ultimately pays, and consequently more voters end up with such a world view.
For instance, data from the World Values Survey shows that only 29% of Americans believe that the poor are trapped in poverty, and only 30% that luck, rather than effort or education, determines income. The figures for Europeans are nearly double: 60% and 54% respectively. Similarly, Americans are more than twice as likely as Europeans to think that the poor are lazy (60% versus 26%).
Indeed, 59% of Americans agree or strongly agree that “in the long run, hard work usually brings a better life”; this view commands much less support in Europe, ranging from 34% in Sweden to 43% in Germany.
Is the “American dream,” according to our theory, just a self-sustaining collective illusion?


Pages
">
>
">
">
<>
I'm looking at the CIA factbook site which is not matching your figures
I can't wait to achieve my dream, save lives and be penalized for it.
physical labor only creates a certain amount of value.
mental labor generally creates
may just be different definitions...
http://www.econstats.com/weo/V029.htm
I was using IMF statistics
Paying a disproportionate portion of the taxes is a penalty.
"It is almost the opposite if you put physical work in the mix. As a waitress and a college student, I work really hard. Let's use health care as an example, an aid does more physical things for a patient than a nurse and a nurse does more physical work towards a patient than a doctor. Except the pay scale goes in the other direction. Not that it shouldn't just why doesn't the highest paid have more physical involvement toward caring for a patient?"
Unfortunately in healthcare it is not only about physicality - there is also risk.
"I know this sounds so simple minded but when did paying taxes to your country become a penalty?"
When the Democratic party decided to make millions of Americans believe that somehow
Wow, no offense, but you have waaaay more balls than I do.
ITA!
>>people on the low end of the pay scale who are doing jobs that don't generate a lot of economic "value," but are necessary to society <<
OK, OK, I admit I still need to read your whole post but...
This sentence stands out to me.
How can work be both necessary and of minimal value??
Pages