Concerning the progressive income tax that you favor, I am not rich and may never be rich. I would like to be rich. However, just because I am not rich means that I favor a progressive income tax. Here's how I see it:
If I have a job, making $10,000 per year, and there is a flat income tax rate of 20%, I am paying $2,000 in taxes.
If my friend makes $1,000,000 per year, at the 20% rate, he is still paying more than me.
Also, depending on how he is making his money, if he is a business-owner, he is creating jobs for the community. Which is something that I am not doing.
I am not rich either, but I favor much lower tax rates for those who are. The truly rich invest a large percentage of their assets. I think those investments will do more for me in the long run than federal government "investments".