Adam Carolla'dan 0 $ vergi ödeyen Amerikalılara: Sizin oyunuza ihtiyacımız yok — hiçbir katkıda bulunmuyorsunuz ve bedavaya oy veriyorsunuz

Adam Carolla to Americans who pay $0 in taxes: We don’t need your vote — you contribute nothing and vote for freebies

Jing Pan

Fri, September 4, 2026 at 1:45 PM GMT+3 9 min read

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Comedian and podcaster Adam Carolla has a blunt message for Americans he believes aren't paying into the system: Stay out of the voting booth.

"I don't want you to vote. You don't need to vote. We don't need your vote. Your vote is more free s— for you," Carolla declared in a widely shared clip (1) from his show.

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"Because you're not paying into the system… you're not creating anything. You're actually voting for the free stuff."

In other words, Carolla is arguing that people who aren't meaningfully contributing to the system shouldn't get a say in how its money is spent.

And he didn't mince words about them.

"You're f—ing poor. You're not contributing. You're not paying any taxes," he said. "I know how you're going to vote on everything. It's going to be more free s— for you."

Carolla even compared the group to incarcerated felons who can lose their voting rights, arguing that society doesn't need the votes of people who are "detrimental" rather than helpful.

"We do this thing where they go, 'Prisoners aren't allowed to vote,' and I go, 'Yeah, because they're not part of our society. They're detrimental to our society.' And I don't know what the legalese, but we all basically agree that if you are a purse snatcher and robbing homes and punching grandmas and you're incarcerated, we don't need your vote. And the answer is why not? They're still American citizens. They're human beings. Why shouldn't they vote? Because they're not helping our society and I don't want their vote," he said.

Carolla's explosive rant touches one of the biggest fault lines in America's tax system. The Tax Policy Center (2) estimated that roughly 40% of U.S. households — about 76 million tax units — would pay no federal individual income tax in 2025.

However, it's important to note that owing no federal individual income tax doesn't mean someone pays $0 in taxes — or contributes nothing to society.

People with no federal income-tax liability can still include workers paying Social Security and Medicare taxes with every paycheck, retirees who spent decades paying into the system and families whose deductions or tax credits reduce their bill to zero.

They may also pay state and local income taxes, sales taxes, gasoline taxes and property taxes — a distinction X users highlighted in replies to Carolla's clip (3).

Carolla's tirade therefore flips a familiar tax debate on its head. Instead of asking whether America's wealthiest citizens are paying their fair share, he is questioning whether those at the other end of the income spectrum deserve a voice at all.

'An obligation to pay as little tax as possible'

America's ultrawealthy, meanwhile, have long faced a similar accusation: that they aren't contributing their fair share.

For decades, high-net-worth individuals have used proven strategies — and specific types of assets — to legally slash what they owe to the IRS. According to a report from ProPublica (4), some billionaires in the U.S. paid little or no income tax relative to the vast fortunes they've amassed.

The blunt reality is that most billionaires build their wealth through assets — not wages; as the value of these assets rises, their net worth grows. However, the U.S. tax system isn't designed to fully capture those gains. Capital gains are typically taxed at lower rates than regular income and taxes aren't owed until the assets are sold.

In fact, as NYU Stern professor Scott Galloway once put it, if you're trying to build wealth, you have "an obligation to pay as little tax as possible."

One asset class America's wealthy have relied on for decades is real estate — in part because of the generous tax treatment it receives.

When you earn rental income from an investment property, you can claim deductions for a wide range of expenses, such as mortgage interest, property taxes, insurance and ongoing maintenance and repairs.

Real estate investors also benefit from depreciation — a tax deduction that recognizes the gradual wear and tear of a property over time. Investors can even use tools like refinancing and 1031 exchanges to keep their capital compounding instead of cashing out.

Today, you don't actually need to be a millionaire — or buy a single property outright — to invest in real estate. Real estate investment platforms like mogul offer an easier way to get exposure to this income-generating asset class.

As a real estate investment option offering fractional ownership in blue-chip rental properties, it gives investors monthly rental income, real-time appreciation and tax benefits — without the need for a hefty down payment or late-night tenant calls.

Founded by former Goldman Sachs real estate investors, the team handpicks the top 1% of single-family rental homes nationwide for you. In other words, you gain access to institutional-quality offerings for a fraction of the usual cost.

Each property undergoes a rigorous vetting process, requiring a minimum 12% return even in downside scenarios. Across the board, the platform features an average annual IRR of 18.8%. Their cash-on-cash yields, meanwhile, average between 10% and 12% annually. Offerings often sell out in under three hours, with investments typically ranging between $15,000 and $40,000 per property.

Sign up for an account and browse available properties here to start investing today.

Another option is Lightstone DIRECT, which gives accredited investors access to single-asset multifamily and industrial deals.

Lightstone DIRECT's direct-to-investor model ensures a high degree of alignment between individual investors and a vertically-integrated, institutional owner-operator — a sophisticated and streamlined option for individual investors looking to diversify into private-market real estate.

With Lightstone DIRECT, accredited individuals can access the same multifamily and industrial assets Lightstone pursues with its own capital, with minimum investments starting at $100,000.

Read More: Millionaires under 43 hold only 32% of their wealth in stocks. Here's where their money is actually going

Keep more of what you earn

The wealthy don't just focus on what they invest in. They also pay close attention to where those investments sit. Using tax-advantaged retirement accounts can be a powerful way to keep more capital compounding over time.

For instance, traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs allow investments to grow either tax-deferred or tax-free, depending on the account type.

While many retirement accounts primarily hold stocks and mutual funds, some investors choose to diversify further. Ray Dalio, founder of the world's largest hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates, has repeatedly warned that many portfolios lack one key safe haven asset: gold.

"People don't have, typically, an adequate amount of gold in their portfolio," Dalio told CNBC (5) in 2025. "When bad times come, gold is a very effective diversifier."

Long seen as the ultimate safe haven, gold isn't tied to any single country, currency or economy. It can't be created at will by central banks like fiat money and in times of economic turmoil, market turbulence or geopolitical uncertainty, investors tend to pile in — driving up its value.

Over the past five years, gold prices have surged by 139%.

One way to invest in gold that can also provide significant tax advantages is to open a gold IRA with the help of Goldco.

Gold IRAs allow investors to hold physical gold or gold-related assets within a retirement account, thereby combining the tax advantages of an IRA with the protective benefits of investing in gold, making it a compelling potential option for those wanting to ensure their retirement funds are diversified during rough economic times.

Goldco offers free shipping and access to a library of retirement resources. Plus, the company will match up to 10% of qualified purchases in free silver.

If you're curious whether this is the right investment to diversify your portfolio, you can download your free gold and silver information guide today. Just keep in mind that, typically, gold is best used as one part of a well-diversified portfolio.

Work with an expert

The ultrawealthy often have teams of professionals helping them structure their finances, manage investments and think through the tax consequences of major decisions.

But you don't need a billionaire's balance sheet to benefit from expert guidance.

A qualified financial advisor can help you look at the full picture — your income, investments, retirement accounts, real estate, tax situation and long-term goals — and build a strategy that's designed to keep more of what you earn working for you.

That can be especially important when the tax code treats different types of income differently. Wages, capital gains, dividends, retirement withdrawals and real estate income can all come with different rules — and the right strategy can help you make smarter decisions before tax season arrives.

If you have a portfolio of $250,000 or more, platforms like WiserAdvisor can connect you with vetted professionals who specialize in this kind of planning.

Simply answer a few questions about your savings, retirement timeline and overall investment portfolio. From there, WiserAdvisor reviews its network to match you — for free — with up to three vetted, reputable advisors aligned with your specific needs.

You can then schedule no-obligation consultations with your matches to determine who is the best fit for your long-term goals.

WiserAdvisor is a matching service and does not provide financial advice directly. All matched advisors are third parties and specific financial results are not guaranteed.

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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.