Death and taxes

Allegedly, those are the only two certainties.  Few things garner quite as much discussion.  With respect to taxation in particular, almost everybody thinks that they personally are being taxed unfairly, and that someone else should pick up some of the slack.  In particular, far too many people are completely convinced that the wealthy don't pay enough taxes.

Well, let's stir the pot a little.  By way of wcg, here's a graphic from the New York Times explaining the impact on various economic brackets in the US of the coming expiry, or not, of the Bush administration's tax cuts.

Go look at it.  I'll wait.

Doubtless the columns that will attract the most interest from would-be redistributionists are those showing how much greater the percentage income gains from tax cuts are on those at the top of the income range ladder vs. those on the bottom.  We'll talk about that more in a moment.  But first. I want you to go look at the graphic.  Then come back and read below the cut.

( Done? )