Quote from logic_man:
Again, why should being born in a particular country cost me money above and beyond what I get back from that particular country? If I pay $20K in taxes, why can't I get back $20K in benefits? You hem and haw about "fairness", well what's more fair than getting back at least what you pay in? I wasn't put on this planet to be your cash cow.
As for the whole "live in a society" thing.....
Quote from Hansel H:
Too simplistic. Did today's billionaires invent the monetary system? If we didn't live in a cooperative society there would be no wealth; we'd still be cavemen.
People in positions of advantage can play the system and reap disproportionate benefits from the social cooperative. When a significant minority of people are excluded from opportunity they have nothing to lose by resorting to criminality and anarchy - except their miserable lives.
Quote from AKUMATOTENSHI:
The other option is to leave and go to another location. If a state is so wealth disproportionate, then it citzens can leave and go to another location where oportunity still exists. Opportunity is closing up in the states. It is turning more into a feudal state where as where and what family you are born into will determine what type of life you will lead. Nothing has changed in the last 6000+ years of humanity, nor will it ever.
Akuma
Quote from EMRGLOBAL:
Fuck the poor! All you Free loading ass clowns on this site kill me.
The Rich you speak off, are stealing from more than just your sorry broke asses.
For those of us who make good money, we get bent over more than most of you fools.
38% for top tax bracket (which starts at a measly income of 100k) is still more than 15% or 28% in taxation that most of you ass clowns pay. Not to mention, 1000 plus Luxury Taxs on certain cars, et all.
Class war? Bring that shit on! OBAMA has already created the battle field. All you idiots living in the East Coast and Mid West are feeling the " lower Class revolting" and how is that working out for you? Flash Mobs, robbing, beating and killing. Every time I read the news, Phili, Chicago, Nyc, et all, taken over by the "Revolting Class".
Soon, the war zone will widen and half of you idiots who pretend to be something on ET, will be robbed, beat up, robbed again while you live in those "FREE LOADING" and SOCIALISTIC cities.
BRING THAT SHIT DOWN HERE. I have a few "Items" that will stop your "Revolting Class" dead in their tracks.
RON PAUL IN 2012 otherwise WAR ZONE in those beautiful and lovely cities in the news everyday.
Quote from peilthetraveler:
The reason for incomes falling is that the rich are working harder and the poor are getting lazier. Have you seen kids today how lazy they are? They only want to play video games, look at porn and go get high. This is why the income gap is spreading.
Quote from Hansel H:
The problem with this is that the number of places where opportunity exists that will accept immigrants is dwindling. Definitely, the U.S. is a titular democracy at best; it's really a plutocracy - at all levels of government.

Quote from bone:
If you see someone truly poor in the United States chances are it is a substance abuse problem and a personal accountability issue. Entitlements and public assistance are provided to the point that the recipients will not take jobs; indeed - there are single parent families with generations ( literally ) who are provided housing, food, vouchers, medical care, education, transportation, and cash payments.
There are volumes of empirical studies dating back from the 60's that shows that the level of financial assistance provided does NOT correlate to reductions in income gaps and poverty rates.
The real issue is not the rich, the issue is personal accountability and substance abuse - which is not the exclusive domain of the poor and intransigent.