Mike, let's try some easy math here. I just got my taxes done last month. My husband didn't believe how much we were paying after I did them, so he went to a professional and I was $5 off. We make a modest income -- less than $50,000 a year, yet we pay 30% in taxes.

What socialists never seem to understand is that the middle class inevitably pays the taxes that support the welfare programs they don't quite qualify for. The wealthy can hide their wealth and they do that whenever the tax rates becomes too high. When Reagan lowered tax rates, the actual revenue coming into the IRS increased because the wealthy began paying taxes rather than spending money to avoid them. 

Also research has consistently shown that those making more than $250,000 in the US pay 80% of all the tax revenues that DC collects. So, you increase taxes, the wealthy hide their money and the middle class pay more. Crushing taxes! 70% of $45,000 is just over $31,000 - hardly hugely wealthy.