Should taxes 1.) have a sliding scale based on income, or 2.) be the same for everyone?

Ask yourself something. What impact does 20% of ones income going as taxes have for someone making 24k a year vs 500k a year?

Pretty large difference? The guy making 24k a year is hit much harder. Well that is why a progressive tax is better and why flat taxes and sales taxes are very regressive and hit the people that can't afford it.

Workers get crapped on enough, especially on the lower end. We should be helping people that work. People tit and moan about welfare and such yet crap on low end workers every chance they get. It's foolish. These people are working they should be rewarded.

We can afford nice things here, we don't have to be in debt up to our eyeballs. We just have to stop giving tax breaks to people that don't need them. The money doesn't trickle down as the last 30+ years have proved. We also need to stop waging so many senseless wars and occupations.

Nothing wrong with a strong military. Throwing it around the world at the coast of trillions for no benefit is foolish. Nothing wrong with having a lot of money, people just shouldn't have lower tax rates making tons of it than middle and lower class.

Taxes (income) should be progressive (make more.. pay more.

sliding scale

Progressive like it is.

In order to get "the same amount in either situation," the flat rate in #2 would have to be so high that lower-income taxpayers would not be able to live on their after-tax income. What would happen then? Either the lower-income taxpayers would starve; or the uniform tax rate would have to be increased to pay enough in benefits to keep them (and their families) alive; or the tax rate would have to be adjusted so that higher-income taxpayers paid a larger percentage of their income than lower-income taxpayers.

to be fair if that is the goal here, would be the same % on the income of everyone, ie if a person make an income of $30K his 1% would be $300
the other guy who made $300K would pay $3K they are each paying the same amount and neither will be harmed by the 1% paid
this of course, eliminates all deductions, credits etc., just a simple 1% tax on income. this means everyone, business making billions etc, on their 'income', not their nets

Every person should pay the same percentage of all income over a certain amount. Say $30,000 for a family of 4.