[candiddevmike]

> Instead of working I would have been lazy.

Isn't that what folks who don't have to work for a living do? Why is it frowned upon for poor people to do the same?

Although IMO $1000/month probably means you only have to work 1-2 part time jobs to get by, nowhere near lazy territory, especially in LA.

[sickofparadox]

I believe its frowned upon for people of all social classes, but there's less discussion about those who "don't have to work" because taxpayers are not funding their lives.

[candiddevmike]

> taxpayers are not funding their lives

Right, because they all still pay their fair share of taxes, medicare, and social security?

[sickofparadox]

The top 5% of earners paid 62.7% of all federal income taxes in recent years[1], so I'd imagine that yes, they do pay their fair share.

[1]https://taxfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/FedData...

[TheCoelacanth]

Limiting it to federal income taxes gives an incredibly skewed picture.

It's basically equivalent to saying: "If you exclude all the taxes that the poor pay, then the rich pay the most taxes".

Federal income taxes aren't the only taxes. They aren't even the only federal taxes on income. FICA taxes are regressive with the rich paying a lower rate on income. State and local taxes also tend to be regressive with the poor paying a larger portion of their income than the rich.

[kej]

It's not quite so lopsided when you look at the whole picture, but it doesn't make as good of a talking point: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/fact-check-richest-1...