Why is the marginal rate set at $250,000? A hardworking small business owner with a professional spouse could set their income goals to that amount. Small and medium sized businesses collectively are the nation's largest employer. They come out in droves against raising the marginal rate because it would drastically reduce the income of upper management and individual owners. Why not raise it beyond the reasonable expectations of the upper middle class?
Through observation I have noticed that Republicans are generally very hard working. I am an artist and subsidize my income working temp jobs, so I have worked at the bottom of a large variety of companies. The business owners I work for are mostly guys who work hard to maintain their employees, whom they regard as family, usually. They believe that they should be rewarded with a big house and a fancy car and a trip to the Bahamas one week a year. A modest request for happily creating economic security for the nation.
A successful shop owner can make around $250,000 a year. In a very good year they can make twice that.
When they hit the marginal rate, they turn on Fox News. They put Rush Limbaugh on the shop radio. When employees ask for raises, they blame the president. They say taxes are killing them. Maybe they are right. They are good people that feel shafted. I can't feel anything but empathy. Too many decide it's not worth it and either sell out to the competition or just auction off the shop equipment. Everyone of the employees goes on unemployment, then to poverty.
Raise marginal rate to 1 million dollars!!! Raise the rate over 1 million to 65 percent and cut the rate under. Make the marginal tax rate a millionaires tax. That would make even the reddest of my former bosses vote blue. That same boss might even hire a few more full time employees and temps. Then I get to eat better, you too.