Further evidence of the complete lack of comprehension in Washington. Federal spending demonstrates how completely divorced Congress and the Administration are from reality. This country is in very deep trouble and neither political party seems to have the slightest clue about what needs to be done. Either that or they simply have decided to ignore what needs to be done in the name of political expediency.
Democrats have repeatedly demonstrated a complete unwillingness to deal with out of control spending. For their part Republicans while talking the talk on spending, have a track record that is just as bad as the Democrats. Making matters worse is that the while the GOP ran Washington for eight years they undertook the most massive expansion of government since the Johnson Administration while simultaneously passing the steepest tax cuts in a generation (the benefits of which went disproportionately to the very wealthy).
All of which makes me wonder how many members of Congress in either party could pass a 3rd grade math test?
Aristotle believed that democracy contained an inherent weakness, which would manifest itself when the relatively impecunious majority realized that, through democratic means, it could impose all the costs of society on the relatively weathy minority.
I wonder what Aristotle would have to say about this fiscal development?
Oh, my! What will become of the oft-repeated assertion that we spend the first 3.5 months of each year working not for ourselves but for the federal government?
4. Brian of Maryland wrote:
[blockquote]Isn’t that percentage exactly the president’s current approval rating? Just say ..[/blockquote]
The Gallop poll shows his current approval rating is 54%.
Paying an income tax to support the Federal Government has beome, over the past century, an important part of a citizen’s obligation to support the activities of the government that he has elected.
If one citizen has to pay an income tax, then every adult citizen who has income of any sort should be made to prepare an income tax return and submit it to the government, even if the tax that he pays is only that amount of money required to ‘process’ his income tax return.
If people don’t ‘pay to play’ in the process of government, then they are much more likely to become irresponsible voters. They are much more likely to become and suport ‘parasitic’ individuals who could work for a living but who see the government as a sole source of income.
In fact, the question arises regarding whether such ‘parasitic’ individuals should have the right to vote.
Anglican First, has it occurred to you that a single person with an income of $9,350 owes no federal income tax? A couple with an income of $18,700 owes no federal income tax, and if they are both 65 or older and have an income of $20,900 they owe no federal income tax. It increases if they have dependents. It increases if one or both are blind.
I would suspect that a lot of students fall into that category. I know I did when I was in college and seminary and had low paying part time jobs. And yes, I filed a tax return in order to get the withholding refunded.
With unemployment at 9.8% (roughly 15.1 million people), additional unemployed that outlived their unemployment benefits and dropped off the government’s radar, additional underemployed workers, increasing numbers of senior citizens (many of whom saw their IRAs, 401(k)s and retirement savings plunge), it shouldn’t be too surprising to see the numbers of those who owe no federal income tax rising dramatically.
And now you want to slap a fee on the poor for not owing any federal income tax!
“And now you want to slap a fee on the poor for not owing any federal income tax!”
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Yes.
And I suspect that if a survey were conducted, many of those could afford a nominal income tax tax-filing assessment of $15-$25 just as easily as they can afford to buy alcohol, cigarettes, lottery tickets, etc.
Its about participation in the tax PROCESS which can also be an EDUCATIONAL process when low income people find out just how much money others are paying to carry the tax burden that they cannot/aren’t carrying.
Maybe, just maybe, some of the low-income-earner anger might turn into GRATITUDE when they find out just how much tax payers are doing to help them out.
The simple solution is a “National Sales Tax” with exemptions for the necessities, food, clothes (up to a dollar limit per item), medicine, etc. Everyone would file an income statement. Those on the “poverty” end could receive assistance if they desired it. This would collect taxes from those who now evade taxes. It would tax the wealthy on their consumption (why make a lot of money if you can’t spend it?). The low income earner would be the least affected of all since their disposable income goes for mostly necessities.
The same tax system could be applied to companies as well. Taxes on capital improvement/equipment, but no taxes on income or distributions. The dividend income to the shareholders gets taxed when the recipient spends it.
Just as a point of reference, IMHO, taxes are ALWAYS paid by the end user or consumer. Therefore the rich and corporations don’t really pay taxes except on money received from people using or buying their services or products. The one exception is the “wage earner” who does pay “withholding” taxes.
The whole tax system as currently devised is just a shell game.
The wealthiest 1 percent of the population earn 19 perÂcent of the income but pay 37 percent of the income tax. The top 10 percent pay 68 percent. The bottom 50 percent—those below the median income level—now earn 13 percent of the income but pay just 3 percent of the taxes. These are proportions of the income tax alone and don’t include payroll taxes for Social Security and Medicare.
Further evidence of the complete lack of comprehension in Washington. Federal spending demonstrates how completely divorced Congress and the Administration are from reality. This country is in very deep trouble and neither political party seems to have the slightest clue about what needs to be done. Either that or they simply have decided to ignore what needs to be done in the name of political expediency.
Democrats have repeatedly demonstrated a complete unwillingness to deal with out of control spending. For their part Republicans while talking the talk on spending, have a track record that is just as bad as the Democrats. Making matters worse is that the while the GOP ran Washington for eight years they undertook the most massive expansion of government since the Johnson Administration while simultaneously passing the steepest tax cuts in a generation (the benefits of which went disproportionately to the very wealthy).
All of which makes me wonder how many members of Congress in either party could pass a 3rd grade math test?
I despair for the Republic.
In ICXC
John
Aristotle believed that democracy contained an inherent weakness, which would manifest itself when the relatively impecunious majority realized that, through democratic means, it could impose all the costs of society on the relatively weathy minority.
I wonder what Aristotle would have to say about this fiscal development?
Oh, my! What will become of the oft-repeated assertion that we spend the first 3.5 months of each year working not for ourselves but for the federal government?
Isn’t that percentage exactly the president’s current approval rating? Just say …
4. Brian of Maryland wrote:
[blockquote]Isn’t that percentage exactly the president’s current approval rating? Just say ..[/blockquote]
The Gallop poll shows his current approval rating is 54%.
[url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/113980/Gallup-Daily-Obama-Job-Approval.aspx]Gallup Daily: Obama Job Approval[/url]
Mr Micawber had a word for the second chart.
Apparently, I don’t make enough money to earn this vaunted privilege. Nuts.
Paying an income tax to support the Federal Government has beome, over the past century, an important part of a citizen’s obligation to support the activities of the government that he has elected.
If one citizen has to pay an income tax, then every adult citizen who has income of any sort should be made to prepare an income tax return and submit it to the government, even if the tax that he pays is only that amount of money required to ‘process’ his income tax return.
If people don’t ‘pay to play’ in the process of government, then they are much more likely to become irresponsible voters. They are much more likely to become and suport ‘parasitic’ individuals who could work for a living but who see the government as a sole source of income.
In fact, the question arises regarding whether such ‘parasitic’ individuals should have the right to vote.
Anglican First, has it occurred to you that a single person with an income of $9,350 owes no federal income tax? A couple with an income of $18,700 owes no federal income tax, and if they are both 65 or older and have an income of $20,900 they owe no federal income tax. It increases if they have dependents. It increases if one or both are blind.
I would suspect that a lot of students fall into that category. I know I did when I was in college and seminary and had low paying part time jobs. And yes, I filed a tax return in order to get the withholding refunded.
With unemployment at 9.8% (roughly 15.1 million people), additional unemployed that outlived their unemployment benefits and dropped off the government’s radar, additional underemployed workers, increasing numbers of senior citizens (many of whom saw their IRAs, 401(k)s and retirement savings plunge), it shouldn’t be too surprising to see the numbers of those who owe no federal income tax rising dramatically.
And now you want to slap a fee on the poor for not owing any federal income tax!
“And now you want to slap a fee on the poor for not owing any federal income tax!”
========================================================================
Yes.
And I suspect that if a survey were conducted, many of those could afford a nominal income tax tax-filing assessment of $15-$25 just as easily as they can afford to buy alcohol, cigarettes, lottery tickets, etc.
Its about participation in the tax PROCESS which can also be an EDUCATIONAL process when low income people find out just how much money others are paying to carry the tax burden that they cannot/aren’t carrying.
Maybe, just maybe, some of the low-income-earner anger might turn into GRATITUDE when they find out just how much tax payers are doing to help them out.
The “real” unemployment rate, u6, is way higher than that mentioned in #9.
The simple solution is a “National Sales Tax” with exemptions for the necessities, food, clothes (up to a dollar limit per item), medicine, etc. Everyone would file an income statement. Those on the “poverty” end could receive assistance if they desired it. This would collect taxes from those who now evade taxes. It would tax the wealthy on their consumption (why make a lot of money if you can’t spend it?). The low income earner would be the least affected of all since their disposable income goes for mostly necessities.
The same tax system could be applied to companies as well. Taxes on capital improvement/equipment, but no taxes on income or distributions. The dividend income to the shareholders gets taxed when the recipient spends it.
Just as a point of reference, IMHO, taxes are ALWAYS paid by the end user or consumer. Therefore the rich and corporations don’t really pay taxes except on money received from people using or buying their services or products. The one exception is the “wage earner” who does pay “withholding” taxes.
The whole tax system as currently devised is just a shell game.
To add to the article:
The top 50% of wage earners pay 96.03% of all taxes in the U.S.
sorry went to hit preview, and hit submit:
The wealthiest 1 percent of the population earn 19 perÂcent of the income but pay 37 percent of the income tax. The top 10 percent pay 68 percent. The bottom 50 percent—those below the median income level—now earn 13 percent of the income but pay just 3 percent of the taxes. These are proportions of the income tax alone and don’t include payroll taxes for Social Security and Medicare.
source: [url=http://www.american.com/archive/2007/november-december-magazine-contents/guess-who-really-pays-the-taxes]The American[/url] November/December 2007
Interesting article, the point was that the rich DID pay more even under Bush’s Tax Cuts.