IBD: 

Whether it’s called “tax fairness,” “economic populism” or whatever, politicians are eager to show they’re in touch with the common man. So we’ve seen a plethora of tax plans that seek to make the “rich” pay their “fair share.” This is nonsense of the highest sort — but popular all the same.

New data from the Tax Foundation and the IRS show just how nonsensical it is. In 2005, the latest full year for data, the top 1% of earners accounted for 21.2% of all income, but paid 39.4% of all federal taxes. The top 5% earned 35.8% of all income and paid 60% of the taxes. That’s right: The top 5% paid more in income taxes than the remaining 95% combined.

Go back to 1980 — the dawn of the Reagan era — and the top 1% paid just 19% of all taxes and the top 5% just 37%. It is an irrefutable fact, therefore, that taxes are more progressive (rich pay more, in Democrat-speak) than ever. And it happened with Republican presidents holding office in 19 of 27 years, during a period when, paradoxically, tax rates on the highest incomes fell.

Consider all the freebies that Hillary is promising voters. If vast majorities pay a pittance of the federal tab, our system becomes perverted to the point that people who do nothing can simply vote to take the wealth of those who do something.