[Hugh R]

Gaijinda you said "And yes, we have a structural underclass that might not be adding much to the GDP - but I dont think it is all that big.."

It actually is much bigger, consider this. In California, the state spends $6,400 per student to go to K-12. If you have two kids, thats $12,800 in state money to put your two kids though K-12. I imagine the costs in NY are similar. In California, the top tax rate is 8%, I think. So if you make $100,000/year then you only pay $8,000 in income taxes, add in the state average of about $3,500 in property taxes, and some sales tax and you might approach the $12,800 in costs just to put your kids through school, with nothing left for police, fire, roads, flood control, etc. And that's from someone make $100K/year. The fact is that the average person doesn't even pay for the goods and services that they use and take from the State. Its those top percentile of wage earners who carry everyone else. The middle class for the most part don't pay their "fair share" by "fair" I mean they put in what they take out. That's why when I hear "no tax cuts for the rich" it gets me going, they're the ones paying the taxes way in excess of what they take out of the system, and no, I'm not "rich", but the government would have you believe that anyone making over $60K/year should be taxed as "rich".