I really think you have pegged me wrong. I have never said we should not have a social safety net. I have gone out of my way to say we should not tax those near or below the poverty line. I think I have put a lot of effort into saying my beef is primarily with the middle class. Thats where you will find the real injustice of the "progressive" tax system we enjoy today. I am soaked so a middle class wage earner can take more in the form of services than he gives in the form of taxes. Thats just wrong. Please understand this is different from saying I want to tax some guy near the poverty line, because thats just not what I am saying.

To say the tax distribution should be spread more fairly is not the same thing as saying I am Scrooge and want to tax Tiny Tim's crutches.

If you give me a world where the % of tax dollars I put into the system is proportional to the income I earn allowing for an exclusion of those at or near the poverty line, then I have no problems. Thats a far cry from what we have now. Like I said, let the top 20% pay for the top 20% & bottom 20%'s & let the middle 60% pay for its own way.

I look forward to someone telling me how this is an evil or selfish proposition.