"It's like me in the restaurant: What do I care about extravagance if you're footing the bill?"
Walter Williams
"By the way, at that lowest "income" quintile, many do not even pay those Social Security taxes. On welfare, Social Security, living of municipal bond interest from a trust or whatever, no wage no social security tax to be paid."
Not really relevent since most of the lowest quintile (lowest 20%) don't vote any way.
"The welfare state thrives with an income tax, within its exemption structure it fosters the means to grow and perpetuate the government's spending constituencies."
The welfare state could care less about the source of it's income as long as it has income to spend. Cut off the income and you kill the welfare state. Since it is 'revenue neutral', the NRST only perpetuates the funding stream to the welfare state.