[quote=CardiffBaseball][quote=eavesdropper] I’m perfectly willing to pay taxes on my entire income when corporations and the rich begin to do the same. Hell, at this point, I’d be happy if companies like Exxon and GE would pay corporate income tax on SOME of their profits.[/quote]
True but can we also at least raise taxes on the poor? Dammit what Jesus doesn’t realize is that it’s the Meek who are the problem.
My sister has never really made much scratch, I used to do her taxes for her. I swear with EIC and everything else she was actually taking monies out of the system. Of course I don’t begrudge her that money, but that has to be a massive strain on the budget.[/quote]
CB, hold on for one cotton-pickin’ minute, and make sure your Jesus facts are up-to-date. It’s that damn liberal Jesus who needs to kidnap a clue when it comes to losers like the Meek.
Tea Party Jesus has already gone and deleted the Meek from the Beatitudes. That way, Those Who Are Persecuted For Righteousness’ Sake won’t have to share the Kingdom of Heaven.
It’s only fair, if you think about it. Grover Norquist says they pay 96% of all Kingdom taxes.
[quote=CardiffBaseball] My sister has never really made much scratch, I used to do her taxes for her. I swear with EIC and everything else she was actually taking monies out of the system. Of course I don’t begrudge her that money, but that has to be a massive strain on the budget.[/quote]
I see your point. (And I apologize for forgetting about the EIC when I was sounding off about middle-class tax cuts/breaks) I can’t speak as to your sister’s case, but lots of times the Federal government “gets screwed out of taxes” because of state and local tax policy, i.e., low-income and even middle-income people in certain areas can pay so much in other taxes that their after-tax income falls to a phenomenally low level. Have you ever looked at the total your sister pays in taxes (state & local income, sales, property, etc.) as a percentage of her total income?
The whole tax system is so fucked up (excuse the expression). For instance, I know a couple in their late 80s who are still living in the house they bought new in 1953. They live on a total income of $1600/month (his SS check), and have to pay utilities (heat, elec, basic cable, water/sewer, phone), insurance (homeowners, auto, Medicare supplement), and food out of that. Unfortunately, they also pay astronomical property/school tax (about $3800/year) even though they only had one child go through the local system, and she graduated in 1970. They live in a 900 sf house in a bad state of repair in a declining lower-class community. A major problem is that, for several decades, local government has been very lax in collecting taxes from all responsible, so they’re unable to reduce the school tax for seniors who want to/have to stay in their long-term homes. This ridiculously high local tax represents 20% of their income, leaving them less than $1300 for all other expenses. And, despite their incredibly low income, they don’t qualify for ANY Federal, state, or local social services, including food stamps, heating assistance, health care benefits, because they own property.
Yet, living all around them are those who do represent a massive drain on the system: single teen moms, able-bodied people pulling in SS disability checks, and 3rd-generation welfare cheat families who are never going to get off the dole, because our congress (BOTH parties) doesn’t seem capable of coming up with a way to convince them to do that.
I’d like to think that couples like I described above are few and far between, but I know better. We don’t take care of the less fortunate in this country. We reward the less motivated instead.
