A "fiscal cliff" calculator by the Washington Post

Again, spending cuts seem to be forgotten. When will they decide to address that a raise in taxes is not the end all answer?

@ Ron W.: Are you saying that the rich will say: "Oh, I cannot make $1 of profit out of $1 invested anymore but I can make just $0.7... So, I will start firing people and will not invest anymore..." Is that so?

Taxing the rich may seem like a good idea, and believe me, they will not suffer from higher taxes. They will invest less, layoff more and/or raise prices. The bottom line, raising taxes for the rich is paid by the rest of us, less jobs/higher prices in addition the government looses taxes from the rest of us. If a business wants to make more money, they can't just raise the price on their goods/services, it most likely will have the reverse effect, making less money. So it is with government, cut taxes and people will make more money to be taxed. We have seen trickle down wealth from the rich in generations. We call it the middle class. It used to be the rich and the poor.

So much for those "making under $250k not paying more in taxes."

@ Thomas C. You said "It would seem that 'fair share' would imply that everyone pays the same. That seems fair." So, you think that a flat tax is fair. I wanted to point to you the expalanation given by a Republican president on how a progressive tax can be fair too. So, According to Roosevelt, "A heavy progressive tax upon a very large fortune is in no way such a tax upon thrift or industry as a like would be on a small fortune." And later: "...such a tax would help to preserve a measurable equality of opportunity for the people of the generations growing to manhood."