The Confederate Flag and more

THE HISTORY AND THE CONTROVERSY

The Confederate battle flag, also called the "Southern Cross" or the cross of St. Andrew, has been designated as a proud emblem of Southern heritage and a shameful reminder of slavery and segregation. In the past, several Southern states flew the Confederate battle flag along with the U.S. and state flags over their houses. Others incorporated the symbol into the design of their state flags. The Confederate battle flag has also been taken by the Ku Klux Klan and other racist groups. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, more than 500 extremist groups use the Southern Cross as one of their symbols.

BOTH SIDES OF THE ARGUMENT

Con – First of all, the meaning of the flag has changed the meaning of the flag, from representing the true American war to becoming offensive to the African American population, therefore it is important to ban the confederate flag. Second, the flag has been taken as a symbol by many members of the white supremacist and Ku Klux Klan movements. Putting it in the statehouse just makes it look as though the state excuses that sort of thing.

Pro – The flag represents the people of America who fought in wars and risked their lives for the better of the country, and therefore it must fly high and be honored by all. Second of all, we are supposed to be a free country and we cannot go around banning things that we disagree with or that are contrary to our own beliefs. Third, people make assumptions and draw conclusions abruptly without having the correct knowledge, many people in this nation just go ahead and listen to anyone without truly understanding the topic.

ACTUAL RULING / VERDICT (SOUTH CAROLINA)

The South Carolina Senate on Tuesday formally approved a bill removing the Confederate battle flag from the Statehouse grounds, where it has flown either atop the Capitol or on a nearby flagpole for 54 years. The Senate voted 36-3 to send the bill to the state House.

4 Reasons why the Flat Tax is a Bad Idea

1   THE FLAT TAX IS REGRESSIVE AND HURTS THE POOR

 

Flat taxes will result in the tax burden shifting to the middle and lower income groups. Holley Bridge of Clemson University stated that the income tax as presently structured has an important and useful role to play in the overall tax structure. It is at least somewhat progressive, taking a higher share of income from the higher income households than poor people. The reason why a progressive tax structure works best is that it bases off an income. For somebody that makes $25,000 dollars a year in contrast to someone that makes a million dollars, a flat tax rate at 10% is more damaging to the $25,000 income earner. For example, after taxes (with a 10% tax rate), it is hard to survive on $22,500 compared to $900,000.    

2    OVERALL FEDERAL REVENUES WILL LOWER

 Flat taxes will have a negative effect on the revenue generation of the government. When a 35% tax rate on the high-income family drops down to below 20%, the revenue generation mechanism will be seriously affected. This in turn will affect the country's annual budget, making the country economically and politically weaker.

3     PUNISHES SUCCESS

r    Proponents of the Flat Tax mention that, “the progressive tax structure punishes a person’s success.” But they fail to realize that they Flat Tax has the same outcome. For Example: Let's say the Flat Tax rate is 10 %, now a person who earns an annual income of $10,000 has to pay taxes of $1,000, and a person who earns $1,000,000 has to pay a tax of $100,000. Alternatives can include the head tax, where there is a set dollar amount. If the head tax is $8,000, everyone pays $8,000, people making $10,000 or people making $1,000,000.

4

     AFFECTS CITIZENS 

      

      The Flat Tax affects American workers, our current tax system allows taxpayers to earn tax        deductions if they perform good deeds, like donating to charity or nonprofit organizations. The current tax system is creating incentives for people to donate and help out society, without a tax incentive for donations, it is less likely that taxpayers will donate to schools or hospitals, which hurts the quality of life that society provides. This can also hurt employees that depend on tax deductions to help them thrive and provide for themselves.