Obama '08?

But "paying for it" is not the Republican way. Its way is to borrow and spend.

Would you be willing to pay about 25 % more in taxes. I know that is a dirty word to you Reps.

Give me a break. I'm not a republican. I support many of the programs that Obama is proposing. I just want the guy to find a way to pay for them. I DID vote for Obama. He is my president (for better or worse, so far for worse).

And yes, I would support a tax increase (on my personal taxes) if it meant a balanced budget.

I also think that the 50% of the country that doesn't pay any income tax needs to fork over some cash too. At least a few % of their income, just so they have some skin in the game.

The lowest actual tax bracket that should be allowed is 5% it should be the reverse of the AMT.

The person making $15k / year with 1 child, should still have to pay $750 in income taxes.

No matter what the amount of the budget? No matter what was in the budget?

You don't have any quarrel with what Obama is doing but only that he isn't paying for it?

Be careful for what you ask for here.

50 percent huh???

back it up...

I think the number is more like 40%, but still, it's way too high.

Come on Rockhead. That has been asked and answered or this thread and also on Au's economics thread with some very good credible support to back it up. It is true that about 41 to 43% of adult Americans pay no taxes at all and the next 10% pays very very little.

Here's just one of numerous sources to support the truth of it:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/04/15/politics/otherpeoplesmoney/main4945874.shtml

as long as it makes your argument look good, what the hell...

(damn poor people anyways)

I'm a believer Foxfyre, that IF we someone actually proposed having the balls to balance our budget again, you'd see people so upset with the amount of tax they'd have to pay that they would demand a cut in spending.

Right now you have 40% of the working population (probably 50% of the total population) that pay zero income taxes and therefore have no skin in the game when it comes to government spending. The "I don't pay taxes anyway, so lets get some universal health care, that I won't have to pay for." Everything is a win-win for them.

If they had to pay taxes, even a small amount like 5%, they'd be more reluctant to vote for people who promised huge spending increases.

At least, that's my thought.

Yes, 43% is so different (when speaking in generalities, like we all are) than 50%. And to Foxy's point, those next 10% are paying next to nothing, relative to their income, and to the total tax receipts as a whole.

And 50% of the country is not poor.

You have people making 50,000 per year not paying any income taxes.

but you were just using the example of the gal making 15K with a kid.

you have no concept of the folks you are judging.



you and foxy go on bashing those of us who "chose" to be poor, and are scrabbling to take your money so we can squander it on booze and lottery tickets, i'm done today.

I never said "gal," however I was thinking about my sister, who makes 15k and has 2 kids. I'm the oldest of 6 children, and my parent's combined income never exceeded 50,000. I grew up on welfare.

Don't begin to tell me what I do and do not know.

then talk like it.

Talk like what? Like I grew up a poor person so I should believe that they should never have to pay (even a small amount) for any of the benefits that they receive in this country?

Is that how poor people are SUPPOSED to think?

I'm glad you're done. You shouldn't even have started if this is the garbage you've chosen to contribute.

Nothing to be ashamed of growing up on welfare; our family was also in the same boat, and our mother collected welfare to feed and clothes us.

I'm sure my siblings and I have made up for all the handouts provided to us when we were children by our government.

In addition to the employment discrimination we suffered before, during and after WWII, most of us worked ourselves through college and ended up making a pretty decent living and paying our share taxes.

poor bashing is in bad taste.

it takes away from your credibility.

edit:

oh joy, now H2-zero zero zero has joined the fray...

Nobody is judging anybody and your analogy of who anybody is 'bashing' is entirely unjustified and unfair. Did you even look at the article I linked? Did you read what Maporsche was explaining of his own experience? Have you actually worked hands on with the poor; provided services; distributed cheese or tried to get a homeless family off the street?

Can you not see the built-in danger and the very real encouragement of corruption when more than half the country has little or no material stake in their government? Can you not appreciate how they wouldn't care how much taxes are increased or how much government spends? Can you appreciate how that can affect their vote? If you depend on the government to furnish your bread and butter, you are going to keep voting for people who will keep furnishing that to you and won't care about the consequences for anybody else.

If everybody has a stake in the system, however, and everybody is contributing something according to his/her means, and everybody suffers the consequences of what government does or does not do, then I think those who vote will consider those consequences before they mark their ballot or pull that lever.

And that is far more healthy to sustain a Constitutional democratic republic. And it also extends respect and dignity to the poor in a way that a nanny state never does.

I'm not ashamed. What responsiblity, as a child, do I have for my parent's decisions? There is nothing for me to be ashamed about. And I'm well on my way to paying back the money my parent's received for my well being during my youth.

I was just pointing out that Rockhead should learn to think before speaking.

Please tell me where I "bashed" anybody.

You need to stop now before your perceived intelligence is jeopardized any further.

aren't you cute.