[Riverman]

"I am pretty sure the highest tax payers dont receive welfare, Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment , food stamps, etc. People that tend to benefit the most from these programs are those little or no taxes. It might not be as direct as you or I walking down the street and handing a personal check to someone on the outs, but in practice, it might as well be."



Your analysis is simple minded and false. There are of course some government programs that primarily benefit those in low income groups. However, there are also a number of programs that either benefit all citizens relatively equally or primarily benefit those with higher incomes. Social security, for example, is in essesnce subsidized by everyone except the rich since income is exempt from SS taxes above a certian threshold.

I would also argue that even though most conservatives frequently complain about a loosely defined "bureaucracy," they derive significant benefits from regulatory agencies such as the SEC, FBI, FDA, etc. Also transportation funding disproportionatly benefits those well off enough to get around by car. Finally, there are a number of tax deductions and loopholes that exclusively benefit people with money. Examples include the mortgage deduction, business deductions, and charitable giving deductions.