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Re:LA County's guaranteed income program to give some foster... by candiddevmike on Thursday October 26, 2023 @12:13PM (#38027679)
> 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.

Re:LA County's guaranteed income program to give some foster... by sickofparadox on Thursday October 26, 2023 @12:16PM (#38027723)
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.
Re:LA County's guaranteed income program to give some foster... by candiddevmike on Thursday October 26, 2023 @12:17PM (#38027749)
> taxpayers are not funding their lives

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

Re:LA County's guaranteed income program to give some foster... by sickofparadox on Thursday October 26, 2023 @12:24PM (#38027878)
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...

Re:LA County's guaranteed income program to give some foster... by kej on Thursday October 26, 2023 @01:28PM (#38028851)
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...
Re:LA County's guaranteed income program to give some foster... by TheCoelacanth on Thursday October 26, 2023 @02:19PM (#38029649)
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.