Quote from Burtakus:
How much tax do the poor and middle class pay?
The poor pay no taxes so it is mighty hard to cut taxes when you do not pay them. Additionally, the middle class pay a much lower tax rate than the rich do.
Quote from Pabst:
Most appreciation of capital has to do with the INFLATIONARY fiscal and monetary policies of either Congress or the Fed. Thus capital gains are derived from Caesar. Pay the Man his do. .
. And Congress types.Quote from Cache Landing:
That's what cracks me up about these raving critics of tax cut plans. They want the middle/lower class to recieve a similar dollar amount in cuts to what the rich are receiving. Nevermind that fact that most of them received more in government benefits than they ever paid in taxes.
IMO, what is killing this country's finances is third-party-payment. IOW, insurance, medicaid, medicare, etc... Anytime someone else if footing the bill, there is no regulation on the cost of services received.
Quote from Rearden Metal:
Ok, here's the problem with this paragraph, Pabst:
Every serious portfolio has both speculative investments, and "cash" (Money market accounts, CD's, Investment grade short term paper, etc...)
The real rate of inflation is what?... 7%? 8% per year? I'm talking about the <b>real</b> inflation rate, not the joke statistics of the CPI.
Since no money market account provides yields that high, you're already behind the inflation rate. Your cash is losing money every day, directly confiscated by a government which refuses to back it's 'currency' with precious metals reserves.
<b>... and then they make you pay a tax on your so-called 'gains', which aren't even gains at all</b>, since your cash has already lost net purchasing power, even before paying this unfair tax.
Besides contango schemes, is there any way to earn interest (in ounces, not dollars) on bullion?
Quote from fhl:
I'm just wondering where you got the "real rate of inflation". At least in the cpi, they break down their computations. I guess if you are a metals guy, that would explain your perspective. But what about all those years metals were in the tank? Didn't you come out ahead on your interest bearing accounts? At least compared to the "real inflation rate". Not the phony cpi?
Quote from Rearden Metal:
Some interesting insight in this thread:
http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=67760&perpage=6&pagenumber=1
Quote from Rearden Metal:
Ok, here's the problem with this paragraph, Pabst:
Every serious portfolio has both speculative investments, and "cash" (Money market accounts, CD's, Investment grade short term paper, etc...)
The real rate of inflation is what?... 7%? 8% per year? I'm talking about the <b>real</b> inflation rate, not the joke statistics of the CPI.
Since no money market account provides yields that high, you're already behind the inflation rate. Your cash is losing money every day, directly confiscated by a government which refuses to back it's 'currency' with precious metals reserves.
<b>... and then they make you pay a tax on your so-called 'gains', which aren't even gains at all</b>, since your cash has already lost net purchasing power, even before paying this unfair tax.
Besides contango schemes, is there any way to earn interest (in ounces, not dollars) on bullion?