@1 in China. and India.

Not here - he's a job destroyer. Net. Gross. All measures.

Capital Gains tax rate should return to its normal 50 percent rate.

So is he sarcastically arguing that the more work you do, the less taxes you should pay?

If so, his sarcasm is going to be completely lost on practically everyone. Further, it'll only encourage the right wingers, "SEE! SEE! I TOLD YOU SO! TAXES PUNISH US ALL FOR WORKING HARD!!"

Thanks for nothing, Egan.

Egan should tell Joni to make him an extra stiff imported martini tonite.

As a freelancer who is completing a Schedule C for the first time this tax year, I couldn't locate my specific line of work, so I, too, entered "independent artists, writers or performers" as my business classification. The only other option I was was to enter a code that didn't have a name designation (kind of a general bucket description). It's more fun to be though of as an artist, performer or writer. And, I get to Be Like Mitt(tm)!!

John Kerry enjoyed an cushier effective tax rate just two presidential elections ago.

@8,

And remind us all how that election turned out.

Kerry also doesn't advocate lowering his own taxes as your out-of-touch, sure-to-lose candidate does.

@4,

Uh, no, he's saying that the tax code as written rewards lazy rich people and punishes hard-working middle class people. And he's making the point that Romney's tax policies would make that worse, not better. I can't even begin to guess how you came to the opposite conclusion.

Paul - very odd synchronicity. I just now posted a comment on another thread here calling out Mr Egan and his excellent book "The Good Rain". Have you read it? You'd like it, if not. Thanks for the great book recommendations btw - keep it up!

@10,
Ok, I did kind of jump the gun.

Yes, he does make the points that the code is such that the rich are better off not working, and that Romney's going to make that even MORE worse.

However, he also alludes that the more you work, the more you pay in taxes, and that essentially you shouldn't work at all if you want the lowest tax rates... wealthy or not.

Ha! He said "coxed scull".

@8 and @9 tied for the Volley win!