[gergles]

Speak only for yourself, please.

I paid close to 50% of my income in income and payroll taxes last year. I live in the US and am not in the top marginal federal tax bracket. I feel I am taxed more than adequately when compared to other economies that provide a much greater service level for their citizens.

The problems in the US are not on the supply side, they are on the demand (government spending) side, and simply - they are on the military complex side.

[ezzaf]

Why isn't the statement that people on high incomes can afford to pay more tax generally true? Simply feeling that the tax you pay is adequate does not mean paying more would be unaffordable. Certainly you could more afford it than someone on an income of half or a quarter of yours.

The question of whether reducing funding of the military complex would be a better policy than tax increases is a valid one, but unrelated.

[dragonwriter]

The top marginal income tax bracket isn't the place where you pay the highest combined income + payroll tax, since the the larger part of tax is capped and it is otherwise flat, not progressive.

If your paying close to 50% combined, it probably means you'd pay less, as a percentage, if you made more. Getting close to 50% total rate is hard.