Yeah. Those poor rich people. We need to feel sorry for them because they have it so hard.

Thanks, Jay, for looking out for those poor unfortunate rich people.

Jay's little story is best suited to people in the seventh grade, or those with IQs of between 80 and 100. It assumes that everyone in the country shares equally in the services that government provides. It also assumes everyone has equal opportunities. Both are bogus assumptions.

Here's an example: How many poor people are lining up to get passports this week? Yes, passports cost money, but if you think the money paid covers the cost of adminstering the whole process, you're sadly mistaken. What about airports? All that money going into the runway expansion won't help anyone living in the lower tax brackets. Ports? Railways? Even highways? All publicly built, most still publicly administered. Transportation infrastructure is overwhelmingly used to benefit people who already have wealth. There are other examples as well.

Sure, people without money use services those of us in the middle class would never use. But those programs are relatively cheap, with low capital costs, and relatively low administration costs.

And then there's the tax code itself. Have you ever noticed all the loopholes? Have you noticed how you can't access most of them? They're designed specifically for those who already have money. Jay's happy little story notwithstanding, don't for a minute believe that those poor rich people are paying too much tax. Hands up all who believe that Conrad Black paid more in taxes than you did last year.

A lot of people buy into Jay's hogwash story that says the rich are carrying the load for the unwashed masses. Don't buy it. Don't buy it for a second. If we had a truly decent tax code, one that didn't allow the truly wealthy from avoiding taxes altogether, most of us, including the upper middle class and especially the very poor, would be paying significantly less tax.

Simple analogy, but what if prior to dinner the ten men were paid $100 for their combined days work. The tenth man was the manager so he paid himself the most.

By getting rid of the middle management the other nine now had 59 dollars to split between the 9 of them. They each took $6.55 of the managers wage.

Under this new arrangement the first four now paid their own way with $5 dollars, the 4th paid $6 dollars, the 5th paid $7 dollars, the 6th paid $8 dollars, the 7th paid $12 dollars, and the 8th and 9th guys each paid $13.50 dollars.

Everyone now wins because guy 1-7 each come out ahead with a $1.55 to put in their own pocket to spend later with their family, and the 8th guy pockets a full $5.05, while the 9th guy whose idea it was not only came ahead $6.55, but also saved $4.50 dollars from his original bill for an $11.05 windfall.

The guys are all eyeing up guy number 9 now so he better watch what he says and be very nice to the other eight before they wise up to the whole money handlers schemes and beat him up as well.

The moral of the story is this is all one big hypothetical so don't think it relates to reality other than the fact numbers can be twisted to match any hypothetical reality one wishes to create. One would think the source of the funds should play a role in this story equal in importance to the expenditure.

Makes one wonder if this is food for thought as Jay suggests or does he have a moral to his story as the conservative government prepares for their second budget.

Sure it's a simple analogy, but there some truths to it. The top 5% of canada pay something like 70% of all taxes. Obviously some tax cuts should accrue to them, they pay the tax. Taxing the so called rich brought this province to its knees in the 90's. Remember the 54% top marginal rate? It kicked in around $75,000. The government took home more than the taxpayer. Why work? This was before the PST,GST,, vehicle luxury tac, etc. It dosen't take an economic mental giant to see why people and business moved away. Tax the rich may play well at election time, but money is mobile and without them to pay the majority of the freight of government, the poor will really suffer.

This is a prime example of how politicians spin the truth. Nice try Jay but what you fail to realize is that many people are not as gulible as you would like to think. Posting pseuointellectual Bull$hit like that and trying to pass it of as actual logic is just insulting to those in the know. I frankly am insulted by this tawdry attempt to hide the truth.

realist, exactly what truth is he hiding?

2+5+9+14+49 = 79, not 80. Let's hope that the Conservative Government's budget is more accurate than that!!!

1 dollar out of 80 = 1.25% and an error of that magnitude would amount to a pile of money in the federal budget!

A million here, a million there: soon we are talking serious money!

Obviously, women are excluded from going to dinners! :)-

Dow 7500, you want the truth...you can't handle the truth. The truth is that until every poor person is brought to the same income/wealth level as the 'rich', they will continue to scream and shout about how unjust life is. You seem like a mental giant, so you know what the consequences are of having everyone having equal incomes...look no further than the Soviet Union

Well well some are soo touchy when it comes to their rights to gather wealth at any cost. What i refered to was the reports we have recently seen regarding the continued growth of the wealthy few at the cost of those with less, in particular, the disapearance of the middle class caused by the increased wealth accumulation by the wealthy. It is a matter of record and Jay Hill's little Fairy Tale shows us just how the wealthy use smoke and mirrors to try and hide their increased fleecing of those less fortunate. I find it insulting to read drivel like that when the reality is governments are helping the rich get richer while the poor get poorer. I laugh at those who compare a compassionate understanding of wealth distribution to Communist ideas. Only a neocon would react with such fear and attempt at missdirection. What a poor excuse for living a life of sharing and caring.

"the disapearance of the middle class" in Canada?
what world do you live in? Some are touchy at the right to generate wealth just as you seem touchy about the right to confiscate it.

At what level is someone considered rich and at what level are they poor? I would guess that a vast majority of people/families fit into the middle class, and how they spend their money will dictate if they are moving towards poverty or moving toward being wealthy.

Anyone stopped long enough to figure out where the money comes from? It's not from people who do not work. It's not from the working poor. It's not from the underground economy, the drug trade or other illegal source.

True wealth is created by people willing to provide a product or service that others are willing to pay for. That is how jobs are created.

Yeh, I know, it's not fair that some people should make more than others. But you know what? That is the way it is. Get used to it. Some people are talented and some are not. Some people are energetic and some are not. Some people are achievers and some are not. Life is not equal and for many, not fair. It's not supposed to be.

Some are good at handling money and many are not. Why criticize those who have been good stewards of what they have been given. They are the ones who can be entrusted with more. And they do pay a lot of taxes. And they do buy a lot of stuff that others have to produce. And they also are very generous to those in need. And they are also very active in their communities. The list goes on and on. I am thankful and grateful for those who have much and share with those who don't. Chester