Do you believe that some Americans should have to pay a higher tax rate than other American?

Answer 1

Yes, I do, as people with more money have a greater responsibility to help support those in need, as they have greater ability to do so.

Others will no doubt disagree.

first answerer==

However, the above answer is rather naiive. If the US, for instance, was to even out the tax rate so that everyone paid the same rate (or worse, everyone paid the same amount), the US would collapse in one of a few ways. For instance, if it tried to keep its current infrastructure and government services under that rate, many people would have far too much tax burden to support themselves, or, if the taxes on the poor were not raised enough, the government would go into serious debt. If, on the other hand, the govenment cut spending to compensate, the transportation would collapse, pollution would skyrocket, and, in general, society would fall apart. For an example of this, see the current state of the city of Colorado Springs. It is unlikely that private industry would fill the gap, as many of these services are not profitable, and history seems to indicate that consumers will not, in general, boycott a product for moral outrages as long as cost stays down (for instance, see Walmart).

Furthermore, the imposition of the morals of some people on others is necessary for society to survive; otherwise, one has pure moral relativism and no laws can be enforced (such as murder, theft, rape, etc.). Additionally, success is not measured solely in financial gain; it is also measured in one's impact upon the world. Finally, the above answerer is using the false dillema fallacy; the system of this answer is not trying to make everyone perfectly equal, it is trying to make them more equal than the alternative, and many such societies are currently surviving, such as many nations in Europe.