[Hugh R]

The problem is that the poor don't pay their "fair" share. If you start with the assumption that the goods and services that you get from the government should be proportionate to the taxes that you pay, then consider a simple example of a family with two kids in public school. In California, the state, on average, pays $7,000/year/kid. So with two kids your fair share of taxes, just to educate your own kids is $14,000, let alone, police, fire, public services, roads, etc. To pay $14,000 income, sales, and property taxes, you need to be earning in the $80,000 range. The average family income in California is, believe it or not, in the $40,000 range. So most people arn't paying anywhere close to their fair share. As previous commenters had indicated, the "rich" are picking up the slack. That's why when liberals say "No tax cuts for the rich" I wonder if they've given any thought to who actually pays most of the taxes.