Hey, so it turns out that your first link is the median salary, not the mean (average). So that basically ignores the 0.0001% that makes billions (and also -- but less so -- the 1% that makes $200k+).

I'll admit I'm privileged. I mean, I grew up poor, the son of a bricklayer in the 80s, when the construction trades were suffering, but sure, I was privileged: turns out I wasn't stupid.

I'll grant you that everyone deserves a decent life (especially the kids -- now that I have my own, I have a soft spot for kids). But all of that comes at the expense of someone else.

We need to stop pretending that taking money from someone else who has it to pay for things that someone else does not isn't theft. You are literally taking something from one person against their will to give it to another. Noble intentions be damned; it's theft.

If I were to declare that every kid needs a Lego set, and I accomplished this by breaking into your house and taking a handful of Legos, you'd be pissed. But just declare by force of law (and forced imprisonment if you don't comply) that you have to give a huge chunk of money to pay for it, and suddenly it's okay.

Also, I want to address your last line: we have nothing to lose but our chains.

No. There exists a subset of people who mooch off the system; they give nothing, they take everything; they are the ones who say this. The taxpayer; the one who has and has taken from them -- they are the ones who lose. They are the ones who wish to shirk the chains.