A couple of recent stories on taxes and polls really made me laugh.
The first story tells us that about 47 percent will pay no federal income taxes at all for 2009. That is a staggering number for sure. That is just about at the number where the takers (majority) can dictate to the takees (minority) at will and there is nothing that the takees can do about it. That is a very good working definition of tyranny by the way.
The second story is about a Gallup poll which states that “Americans Split on Whether Their Income Taxes Are Too High.” 45 percent of the population thinks that their tax burden is just about right and 48 percent of the population thinks that their taxes are too high.
Wow, about half the population pays no taxes and about half the population thinks that their taxes are just fine. Shocker. People who pay no taxes are happy with the taxes they pay.
Conversely, the other half of the country that carries the entire burden for the non-paying half thinks that their taxes are too high.
What would we do without polling?
So here comes my value add to this little story. 47 percent pay no taxes but only 45 percent think that their tax burden is fair. That means 2 percent of the people who pay NO taxes think that they are overtaxed.
You can’t make this up.
April 15, 2010 at 7:12 pm
Funny, but all those years I paid into it say I DID earn it.
And in order to be successful at planting seeds so that I could get off unemployment, I would need to go back to school and learn agriculture. Which, of course, would cost me money I don't have.
So glad you're educated regarding the state of the economy these days. Clearly you are clueless.
April 15, 2010 at 7:45 pm
We are a family of 8 living below the federal poverty level, and as such we do not pay Federal or state taxes but they sure take a chunk for Medicaid and Social Security which we cannot get back. What good is it to us to pay into a socialist security program we may never benefit from? I can't afford to take my children to the doctor except for dire emergencies, but some old retired fart gets his viagra for next to nothing. Is that fair? We also pay a burdensome amount in local property taxes for services which (for the most part) we do not want or cannot qualify to use. Our county recently voted on a millage to secure ambulance sevice to the entire county… yes, part of the increase in my property tax is going into the pocket of a company that will charge me out the wazoo for their services should I need them. And the measure passed by quite a majority vote, thanks in large part to our aging population who no longer have to make house payments and who have government-provided insurance to cover their medical expenses. Working-poor families like mine are shouldering the burden. And you laugh.
April 15, 2010 at 8:07 pm
Is this the same anonymous that has been posting to me? If so, I want to tell you, I ain't laughing. I agree with you that you shouldn't have to pay into something you probably won't ever see.
It's ridiculous that the working poor and those collecting unemployment should pay as much as we do! And for what?
April 16, 2010 at 1:30 am
Well I have 9 kids and a non-working spouse, so I get a refund well above what was witheld.
I figure this is fair because I'm paying a good deal in state and local taxes for schools that I can't sent my kids to.
April 16, 2010 at 5:49 am
So…we are now finally migrating to where 53% of the people WORK for a living and the other 47% only VOTE for a living. While we are morally obligated to provide a safety net, when it covers 47% of our fellow citizens, it becomes unsustainable.
April 16, 2010 at 5:45 pm
Kim,
After watching a few people pile on I will end this thread with these thoughts.
1. My being clueless about the economy has put me in a position of responsiblity and sustainability with a large family similar to those that have posted.
2. If you think you need to pay for some kind of formal education to plant seeds and you think I'm clueless then….
3. You have been punk'd. The entire purpose of the thread diversion was to prove to some interested observers how easy it is to manipulate those who have some kind of need to constantly respond to people on blogs because what they have to contribute is so profound.
April 17, 2010 at 3:29 pm
Anonymous:
Because of the ambiguity of your language, I erred on the side of being literal. And so I thought you truly meant planting seeds, as in growing food. That, I can do, I am sure. But not to the extent that I can make money off it.
However, in another sense, I am planting seeds. I am a freelance writer with a blog of my own. One of the most effective ways to get exposure for any writer these days is to have an internet presence. For bloggers to get exposure for their blogging and writing, comments on other blogs are quite effective.
As a result of doing this, I've gotten international exposure and paid writing gigs. So, your judgment on the type of poster I am is a bit skewed.