Thousand-Plus Turn Out for "Tax the 1%" Banner at Ocean Beach

Credit: Darya Mead/Flickr

Over a thousand participants showed up at Ocean Beach today to be part of the human banner spelling out "Tax the 1%," which had a better ring to it than the initial plans to spell out "Tax the Rich". The banner was created to show support of the “Buffett Rule,” in which Obama is proposing that those who earn $1 million a year or more should pay at least the same percentage of their income and investments as middle-class Americans.

As The Wall Street Journal reports, 68% of millionaires with investments of $1 million or more support the plan. Republicans in Congress have blocked the initiative, even though, as the Daily Kos found in a recent poll of 1,000 registered voters from both parties, 66% of Republican voters back the proposal, including 52% of tea partiers.

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By Leanne Maxwell in Arts+Events on October 29, 2011 9:00 PM 0 Comments

Comments [rss]

Mike8483

Here's the math:

Let's say you raise the tax bracket for the 1% from 35% to 50%. That would net the government an extra $65 billion. The current deficit is $1.3 trillion.

Don't spend it all in one place!

Guest

Much more effective than campaigning, lobbying, petitioning or cold-calling. Great work!

JspiderSF

Yes, I agree. A short, clear message with broad support delivered in a compelling and professionally-shot photograph that is bouncing around the Internet and being seen by thousands of eyeballs.
http://topsy.com/s?q=%22tax+th...
That sounds like a productive result of an hour or so of effort by a group of people.

Guest

And what did it produce? Other than more internet propaganda that gets them no where?

Let's broaden that question: what has #occupy achieved at all, anywhere, other than provoking conflict with the cops? (Excepting jokes about smelling like ass; etc.)

what2

I'd keep up the calling strategy, but Leanne said that if I kept calling-- or came within a 50 yard radius-- I'd be arrested.

tylerw

In addition, let's let California keeps its federal taxes and let the red welfare states fend for themselves.

Miles_Long

I'd just like to point out that the 1% do pay taxes, in fact they contribute around 37% of all our federal taxes. So technically they should have spelled out "tax the 1% MORE"

http://ntu.org/tax-basics/who-...

Also, I counted 728 people, not 1000.

Sean H

Yes, because they make far more money. That makes sense. That doesn't mean their federal income tax rate should be lower than the bracket below them. These are two different arguments.

Miles_Long

Uh? The top 1%'s federal income bracket isn’t lower than anyone else’s, it’s the highest. Check it out.

http://www.moneychimp.com/feat...