. An Unexpected Argument by Brian Viehland I recently received an email entitled “Bar Stool Economics” that tried to relate a bar tab to taxes. The summary was that 10 men drank together daily and one rich man was paying to offset several of the poor men’s beer. When the bartender gave the group a break on their tab, the rich guy got most of it.  The rest of the group got pissed and killed him, and without his money, no one could drink.  (Read the whole story after the jump). However, the breakdown saying that 40% are paying nothing and 10% are paying 60% doesn’t sound accurate at all. As a small business owner who is in the middle class, my tax burden is 42% of every penny I make – I pay it proudly and without hesitation or argument (maybe a little grumbling from time to time).  I pay it even though 24% of my income goes to social security that I don’t think will be in existence 35 years from now when I’m allowed to retire (if I’m ever allowed).  I pay it not because I can’t find loopholes to get out of it, I pay it because it’s right and I can. I pay it because my brother-in-law is on disability for a brain tumor. I pay it because I know people who have been laid off when their companies moved oversees and are now on unemployment. I pay it because large numbers of kids with potential will never get to go to college without government loans and grants. I pay it because my local library is struggling and needs the money the government provides. I pay it because I want the roads paved, the factory pollution limited, the NIH...

. An E-Mail Forward from Fierce and Nerdy Contributor, Brian Viehland. File your answers in the comments, and the best answer gets a free I-Pod — not really. Joking obviously. We’re only 3-weeks-old, but some sweet day….  Still, leave your answers in the comments. I was serious about that...