1. I’d rather see a reduction in the size of our government, leading to a reduction in tax burden. Preferably, I’d like to see a dissolution of the tiered income tax system. That should be replaced with either a flat tax or preferably a sales tax/tariff system. Is a tax break for tips and overtime fair to everyone? No. I’d much prefer to see tax reductions across the board. At the same time, as long as other income brackets are not forced to compensate, I’ll support any bit we can reduce the supply going to our wasteful government.

2. I have zero sympathy for you whiny, entitled pricks who think I should pay for your dumb decisions. Aka student loans. I dropped out of college, started working for $9/hr, and 12 years of 50-100 hour work weeks later, I bought the company and am doing well financially. Meanwhile, the standard college student spent $80k to party and get a business degree. Then yall are surprised when you’re only making $75k/yr. 10 years into a career of 40 hour work weeks. Make better decisions, take more risks, work more hours, and quit you’re bitching.

1. I’d rather see a reduction in the size of our government, leading to a reduction in tax burden. Preferably, I’d like to see a dissolution of the tiered income tax system. That should be replaced with either a flat tax or preferably a sales tax/tariff system. Is a tax break for tips and overtime fair to everyone? No. I’d much prefer to see tax reductions across the board. At the same time, as long as other income brackets are not forced to compensate, I’ll support any bit we can reduce the supply going to our wasteful government.

2. I have zero sympathy for you whiny, entitled pricks who think I should pay for your dumb decisions. Aka student loans. I dropped out of college, started working for $9/hr, and 12 years of 50-100 hour work weeks later, I bought the company and am doing well financially. Meanwhile, the standard college student spent $80k to party and get a business degree. Then yall are surprised when you’re only making $75k/yr. 10 years into a career of 40 hour work weeks. Make better decisions, take more risks, work more hours, and quit you’re bitching.

I mostly agree with your first point, except I think the ultra rich (no not anyone here) should have a little more to ensure their “trickle down” actually trickles down.

But for #2.. it’s great that worked for you, but if everyone did that, we’d soon have no doctors, nurses, teachers, engineers (aerospace, mechanical, electrical, chemical, civil, and more), architects, mathematicians, dentists, optometrists, pharmacists, veterinarians, radiologists and anesthesiologists, physical therapists, actual therapists, forensics, accountants..

Software developers, IT specialists, cybersecurity specialists would take a hit. Not every job requires those to have a bachelors but many do. Or they cap you if you don’t.

So who will all the trades people build big buildings for then? How would society function without any of them?

A lot of those make enough after graduation to be OK (Dr, lawyer, etc) but a lot come out with debt equaling their first year salary or more. It’s a big burden just to do the career you wanna do.

Well first of all I’m not playing favorites. Stick me in a Time Machine and I would have been just as supportive of you getting your assistance as I would be today. I don’t just want for myself, because it barely affects me any more. I want more opportunities for everyone.

Looking way back in Google, college for 4 year public school in 1975 was $500 a year. Not a semester, a year. Auburn is currently $6600 per semester, so $13200 for two semesters or $19800 if you go all three semesters. That’s just tuition by the way. Assuming you live off campus at home and no meal plan.

Adjusted for inflation, $550 in 1975 was worth about $3300 in today money. So, $3300 vs $13200. Not too many people can afford $13000 (real number probably higher with books, parking permits, mandatory meal cards) and do you think you could do it on the average salary of a cop in Alabama today, which is about $55k?

All student loans are not dumb decisions. That’s awesome of you for working your way to that but don’t call all student loans stupid. I couldn’t afford graduate school despite getting a scholarship to undergrad and then working afterwards as an engineer. That said, no one should pay for them but myself as I don’t want to pay for anyone else’s.

Agreed atoler. If we are paying for people’s student loan cause they pay taxes, then what about the tax payers that don’t go to school what do they get.

The government shouldn't subsidize anything or anyone. No subsidies and no tax breaks. Period.

The government should:

1. Provide for common infrastructure. Roads, bridges, free open public spaces.
2. Provide for common defense. Protect our national borders and sovereignty.
3. Provide for common law enforcement. Help us protect ourselves, our families, and our property.

That's pretty much all the government needs to do. Whatever that costs, then tax us all for it using a fair, across the board, flat tax, on everyone and every business.

The rest of it is a bunch of pandering, special interest, bullshit.

This 100%. When I grew up there were poor folks. They looked it, lived like it, and that's who they were. Good people mostly, but didn't seem to want to do any better for themselves. After working for around 45 years when I retired my biggest surprise was how many people there were who didn't work. I was amazed how many young healthy looking people were wandering around all day. Realized the reason they could do it was because the .gov was sending them a check. Needs to stop.

Backwoods, I was being facetious about you being on welfare ya goob. But you are an idiot for complaining about paying too much in taxes while you pay more than you have to. Thats just not good business and not very smart.

Do you also complain about the price of gas while paying $2 over the price at the pump??

You shouldn’t say all the backwards stuff you say and then run around calling other people jackasses. You always seem to paint yourself into a corner with your mouth.

You post on every government thread complaining about taxes and then admit that you pay more than you have too. And when I suggest you stop whining as do something about it (like get a farm number would be a good place to start) you tell me I don’t understand taxes?

We moved up here on the mountain into our vacation home full time back in 2020. I had no idea how many people were on some sort of disability getting a government check every month. It's astonishing. Cherokee and DeKalb counties must be some of the highest ranked for government subsidies to individuals.

Hell... I just Googled it and 33% of the whole state of Alabama is getting a disability check. 1,361,232 adults. Shit...

That doesn’t shock me. I’m very familiar with a county just south of you where it’s gotta be upwards of 50%. Seems like one out of every two able bodied people actually goes to work 5 days a week. In my neck of the woods in SC it’s probably close to that as well. It’s generational and they all have been taught to play the system. On top of that there are plenty of folks working for the government that willfully enable it. Until that cycle is broken, those folks will have zero incentive to do for themselves.

Wait staff generally don’t make much “per hour” so they obviously rely on tips. I think it’s a great idea.