How Much is a Fair Share

Caution - Venting

We've all listened to our governor (of Minnesota, anyway) and our President talk about the need to get the wealthy to contribute "their fair share." Many of you may be surprised to find yourselves in that category, looking at the impact of changes to tax rates this year. The premium tax penalties (those new and additional medicare and investment taxes tacked on to an already escalating basic tax rate) certainly got my attention.

It causes me to renew my question, when faced with the fairness argument. Whether its school funding, an entitlement program, minimum wages, or income taxes, my question is always, "so what exactly is fair?" Please give me the exact percentage or dollar value that would make it fair.

Is an overall income tax rate of 30% fair? Or is it 35%? Or 50%? How did you come to that number? And at what annual income level should that be assessed? Should the top 1% pay the maximum rate, or the top 1.1%? Or 1.8%? Or maybe 5%? At last count in 2011, the top 1% of wage earners paid 35% of all income taxes. Should the top 1% pay 50% of all taxes? What's the right number?

When is it finally fair? Because every legislative season the cry rings out again. It's not high enough. It needs to be higher. It's an escalating number that seems to only give credit to rates that are higher than last year. It's not even a question of the actual take in $dollars - that's assumed to always be higher. Exactly how much higher is the only matter for debate.

Let's take education, for a moment. How much is enough? Is it so much per child? Is it $30,000, or $50,000 that would finally be enough? Or let's take wages. What is fair in terms of minimum annual income? Enough to pay for all the necessities? What's a necessity? Are cell phones a necessity? Televisions? Computers? Add that all up, and how much does it come to for it to be fair?

When you live in a world without a ceiling, the sky is always the limit. In other words, fairness has no definition other than more. It's usually a fleeting figure that adds up to everything one can think of to spend. And then the following year X% more.

I'll keep searching for the answer as I advance my way through the fairness zone. All I need to do now is reduce my spending in restaurants, on equipment purchases, eliminate some construction plans, and cut back some travel plans to accommodate the increased contribution. For those employed by those businesses, sorry. I know its not fair but - what is?