Over and over we need to hear lies from the right that half of the country doesn’t pay taxes.
Over and over again we need to dispute the tripe that the right-wingers pollute the airwaves with.
-As the federal government has cut back on aid to states, the states have given less to local cities and townships.
-As the federal spigot of tax revenues dries up, and cutbacks are enacted, the states have had to take matters into their own hands for funding.
Here is a simple example of a hidden tax that the poor pay when the government refuses to progressively tax the rich.
Across the nation, funding that would normally come from taxes for mass transit has been severely cutback. The public transit systems have had to raise fares in most of the country to compensate for that lost revenue. Fares have gone up more than 10% in almost every instance.
For someone making the minimum wage, a 10% increase on most major MTA platforms is a 2% tax on their gross paycheck.
Half of the citizens that work in the US make less than 27 grand a year, that same increase in Mass Transit fares is equivalent to 1% tax increase.
The mass transit increase (tax) is highly regressive, the poor and the struggling pay dearly for it.
Sales tax.
Many local cities have raised rates .25 to .50% without much fanfare. For the median wage and minimum wage worker, these seemingly tiny increases can cost 50 to 100 bucks extra every year- To someone making 15k or 20k a year that isn’t chump change.
Local, and state sales taxes, have either gone up recently or they are planning to raise them all across the nation. As the federal government starves the states, the states stave local cities and towns. While it has become almost impossible to raise taxes on the wealthiest citizens on a federal, state or city level, regressive sales and severe hikes are the only places that governments can go to take in revenue.
This is a sick game that the rightwing is playing, as they give tax breaks to the wealthy on the federal or state level, the cities have to raises taxes to make up for the shortfalls. Local municipalities and they aren’t able to change the income tax structure as that usually requires legislation by state senators and governors, many of which are tea party extremists, and they are playing the same games that the GOP is playing in Washington.
Most people have no idea what their state and local tax rates charge. Many, have no idea, how regressive state and local taxes eat away at their purchasing power. Coupled with sales taxes, and hidden taxes such as the mass transit fare increase, and you have a recipe for disaster.
The bottom line:
When the federal government refuses to tax the rich, the states take matters into their own hands by taxing the poor to make up the difference.
For most of the working citizens and the poor- that 20% increase on the bus fare, means you paying 1 to 2% more in taxes on your gross pay, just to get to work.
If the government was able to tax the rich just a tiny bit more, there would be no need to raise fares / taxes on the poor.
I just gave two examples of hidden taxes there are plenty others. While taxes on the rich aren’t raised the states and cities have had to become creative in generation new forms on taxation, the problem is they are all incredibly regressive.
For a minimum wage worker, that 1% tax on mass transit, and that 1% increase in sales tax can break the bank. When you add these surcharges (and others) to state and local taxes, even those that don’t’ directly pay federal income taxes, pay indirect federal taxes. Taken all together, the poor are paying close to 20% of their incomes in taxes. 20% is way too high for a minimum wage worker, especially when you consider the effective top tax rate for a millionaire, falls somewhere between 15 and 35% of their income.
Take that 20% tax rate; couple it with increased costs for rent, food and other necessities- you now know why we have a class of citizen called, -the working poor-, and know you know why their numbers are growing.
One last note:
If the federal government were to impose an income tax of say, 9% on the working poor, they wouldn’t be able to pay their expenses.
Soon, they may not even be able to afford the bus ride that gets them there.
Put another way; why even bother to work if you can’t afford to put a roof over your head?
Friday, October 28, 2011
The USPS has been murdered. Get angry!
I am sick and tired of the GOP controlling the narrative. They are going to spin the USPS as a failed union government organisation that needs a huge tax payer bailout (money) in order to function as a viable entity.
They will say that the solution is deunionization and free markets-but these are outright lies.
The US government is forcing the USPS to prefund all pensions, something no other government org is required to do. This may not seem like such a bad idea to most, but it is killing the USPS in this rescission where revenues are down.
Second and more important, the US government won't let the USPS raise postage rates.
If the USPS were able to raise rates it could close the hole, and continue on as usual.
This is the most important fact- don't let it slip by. UPS and FedEx both have fuel surcharges in place since gas has skyrocketed, the USPS is forbidden from doing the same by the US government!
How is that a free market?
Why should the government care if the USPS raises rates to compete, the ultimate goal is to make a profit and remain solvent. If they raise rates too much and consumers leave them for UPS that is the free market working as it should.
The US government can't have it both ways, if you want a free market and you don't want the USPS taping bailout / tax payer dollars- let them raise rates!
The USPS doesn't use tax payer money, but if they aren't allowed to temporarily suspend the prefunding requirement or let them raise rates they will have to be bailed out.
Just remember one talking point on this issue:
The USPS has been barred from raising rates to compensate for real inflation IE gas.
Darrell Issa and his disgusting cronies are fighting to deunionize, reduce wages, destroy pensions and fire hundreds of thousands of postal workers.
The GOP would rather let the USPS fail rather than see them raise rates as competitors have done.
They will say that the solution is deunionization and free markets-but these are outright lies.
The US government is forcing the USPS to prefund all pensions, something no other government org is required to do. This may not seem like such a bad idea to most, but it is killing the USPS in this rescission where revenues are down.
Second and more important, the US government won't let the USPS raise postage rates.
If the USPS were able to raise rates it could close the hole, and continue on as usual.
This is the most important fact- don't let it slip by. UPS and FedEx both have fuel surcharges in place since gas has skyrocketed, the USPS is forbidden from doing the same by the US government!
How is that a free market?
Why should the government care if the USPS raises rates to compete, the ultimate goal is to make a profit and remain solvent. If they raise rates too much and consumers leave them for UPS that is the free market working as it should.
The US government can't have it both ways, if you want a free market and you don't want the USPS taping bailout / tax payer dollars- let them raise rates!
The USPS doesn't use tax payer money, but if they aren't allowed to temporarily suspend the prefunding requirement or let them raise rates they will have to be bailed out.
Just remember one talking point on this issue:
The USPS has been barred from raising rates to compensate for real inflation IE gas.
Darrell Issa and his disgusting cronies are fighting to deunionize, reduce wages, destroy pensions and fire hundreds of thousands of postal workers.
The GOP would rather let the USPS fail rather than see them raise rates as competitors have done.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Enough! Blacklisting, Remember Elia Kazan, McCarthyism- it isn't making a comeback, its already here
We need to express outrage at NPR for firing host Lisa Simeone, she was fired because she supported the occupy protests.
Here is how it happened.
Explain to me how this any different than blacklisting citizens for political viewpoints?
McCarthyism has made a comeback, but instead of vilifying citizens for being communist sympathizers we are going after liberals!
The lies, the propaganda, the persecution of citizens on the left has reached a fever pitch.
here is another nauseating fact.
ALEC, GOV Walker and the Koch brothers, are on a mission to strip Americans of paid sick days!
hell no! that is another bridge too far! Enough!
They are literally waging war on the middle class- they have crossed the Rubicon.
ENOUGH!
Here is how it happened.
Explain to me how this any different than blacklisting citizens for political viewpoints?
McCarthyism has made a comeback, but instead of vilifying citizens for being communist sympathizers we are going after liberals!
The lies, the propaganda, the persecution of citizens on the left has reached a fever pitch.
here is another nauseating fact.
ALEC, GOV Walker and the Koch brothers, are on a mission to strip Americans of paid sick days!
hell no! that is another bridge too far! Enough!
They are literally waging war on the middle class- they have crossed the Rubicon.
ENOUGH!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
The Mitt Romney economic plan- cut everyone's pay by 25%
The Mitt Romney economic plan- fire 10% of the federal work force. Cut the remaining workers salaries by 25%
Last night, Mitt said- he doesn’t think federal workers should be paid more than those in the private sector, so he is going to cut the pay of all federal employees.
A cut to federal salary by 25% after he lay’s off 10% of the federal workforce- is anyone working for the government going to vote for this clown?
*The Heritage Foundation put out a bullshit report stating that federal workers make 25% more than the private sector.
Second:
He wants to speed up the foreclosure process, kick everyone out and repossess every single house that is underwater ASAP. No loan modification, no refinancing help for those underwater, just let 25% of all homes foreclose- because 25% of ALL mortgages are underwater.
Third:
He is going to cut taxes on the rich, while he bestows a tax holiday to the largest and most profitable corporations in America today.
Got it:
While he says this is a path to prosperity, I see it as a path to Catastrophe.
Last night, Mitt said- he doesn’t think federal workers should be paid more than those in the private sector, so he is going to cut the pay of all federal employees.
A cut to federal salary by 25% after he lay’s off 10% of the federal workforce- is anyone working for the government going to vote for this clown?
*The Heritage Foundation put out a bullshit report stating that federal workers make 25% more than the private sector.
Second:
He wants to speed up the foreclosure process, kick everyone out and repossess every single house that is underwater ASAP. No loan modification, no refinancing help for those underwater, just let 25% of all homes foreclose- because 25% of ALL mortgages are underwater.
Third:
He is going to cut taxes on the rich, while he bestows a tax holiday to the largest and most profitable corporations in America today.
Got it:
While he says this is a path to prosperity, I see it as a path to Catastrophe.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
The republicans have betrayed this country.
There has always been an unspoken and unbroken (until now that is) agreement within the nation.
That pact has been broken, and no one on fox news seems to care.
We had a 90% tax rate on the rich during and after World War 2.
Taxes were increased for Korea.
A surcharge was put into place during the Vietnam era.
They refuse to end the wars; on the contrary they wanted more boots on the ground for Libya- who knows what the hell is going to come of Iran.
All the while, the republicans wish to maintain the lowest tax rates on millionaires in the history of the nation- while the sacrifice is endured solely on the backs of the poor.
For all their talk of patriotism, support for the troops, a strong defense that can’t be cut and a strong nation that needs to tighten its belt, the hypocrites refuse REFUSE to do what they are morally obligated to do, if you won’t end the wars you need to tax the rich so that they can pay for them.
The rich in this nation are richer than they have ever been, they also happen to pay the less in taxes than they ever have.
Tell me republicans; explain how we can have guns and butter.
The poor fight the wars, the rich pay for them.
That pact has been broken, and no one on fox news seems to care.
We had a 90% tax rate on the rich during and after World War 2.
Taxes were increased for Korea.
A surcharge was put into place during the Vietnam era.
They refuse to end the wars; on the contrary they wanted more boots on the ground for Libya- who knows what the hell is going to come of Iran.
All the while, the republicans wish to maintain the lowest tax rates on millionaires in the history of the nation- while the sacrifice is endured solely on the backs of the poor.
For all their talk of patriotism, support for the troops, a strong defense that can’t be cut and a strong nation that needs to tighten its belt, the hypocrites refuse REFUSE to do what they are morally obligated to do, if you won’t end the wars you need to tax the rich so that they can pay for them.
The rich in this nation are richer than they have ever been, they also happen to pay the less in taxes than they ever have.
Tell me republicans; explain how we can have guns and butter.
The Herman Cain 999 plan Is a shit deal for the middle class.
Lets start with how it treats the rich:
Capital gains aren't taxed under 999, and the top one tenth of one percent make almost all of their cash with capital gains.
What is taxed under 999:
All purchases, including food.
All income.
There are zero deductions with 999
Important to note: he is trying to sell 999 as a lower rate than the 15% FICA tax. Problem is, unless you are self employed you only pay half of that, your job picks up the other half.
Unless you job gives you a raise with the money that they save, you aren’t going to save money on payroll taxes since you pay less than 9% on that.
Do you really think the company you work for is going to give you a raise since they just got a tax cut on their profits?
Do we really think that a profitable company currently paying a 20% tax rate, will charge less for their widgets when their rate drops to 9%?
To be fair, your paycheck will be larger under 999 because the withholding tax is gone. By eliminating the withholding and FICA tax, your take home pay will be larger than it is now.
The effective federal tax rate on most median households is 13%- this includes FICA.
This will drop to 9% and that part sounds good- but don’t forget about the national sales tax.
Suppose a family of four spends forty thousand on necessities - that’s a 3600 tax bill!
The median household income in 2010 is fifty thousand. That 3600 tax bill represents a 7% tax rate for a family of four that makes the median household income.
That’s an effective 16% tax rate for a household that makes the median wage. This same household is paying 3% more in taxes under the 9-9-9 plan- this represents a 20% increase in taxes.
Needless to say, this regressive plan gets worse and worse the less you make. On the flip-side, it gets better and better the more you make.
Will rent be taxed at 9%- how about your mortgage payment? We don’t know, because he doesn’t say.
How is he going to fund entitlements without FICA taxes? We don’t know, because he doesn’t say.
Are entitlements going on vacation to Chile under his 999 plan?
Capital gains aren't taxed under 999, and the top one tenth of one percent make almost all of their cash with capital gains.
What is taxed under 999:
All purchases, including food.
All income.
There are zero deductions with 999
Important to note: he is trying to sell 999 as a lower rate than the 15% FICA tax. Problem is, unless you are self employed you only pay half of that, your job picks up the other half.
Unless you job gives you a raise with the money that they save, you aren’t going to save money on payroll taxes since you pay less than 9% on that.
Do you really think the company you work for is going to give you a raise since they just got a tax cut on their profits?
Do we really think that a profitable company currently paying a 20% tax rate, will charge less for their widgets when their rate drops to 9%?
To be fair, your paycheck will be larger under 999 because the withholding tax is gone. By eliminating the withholding and FICA tax, your take home pay will be larger than it is now.
The effective federal tax rate on most median households is 13%- this includes FICA.
This will drop to 9% and that part sounds good- but don’t forget about the national sales tax.
Suppose a family of four spends forty thousand on necessities - that’s a 3600 tax bill!
The median household income in 2010 is fifty thousand. That 3600 tax bill represents a 7% tax rate for a family of four that makes the median household income.
That’s an effective 16% tax rate for a household that makes the median wage. This same household is paying 3% more in taxes under the 9-9-9 plan- this represents a 20% increase in taxes.
Needless to say, this regressive plan gets worse and worse the less you make. On the flip-side, it gets better and better the more you make.
Will rent be taxed at 9%- how about your mortgage payment? We don’t know, because he doesn’t say.
How is he going to fund entitlements without FICA taxes? We don’t know, because he doesn’t say.
Are entitlements going on vacation to Chile under his 999 plan?
An open letter to moderate conservatives.
If you’re a evangelical- I get it, this letter isn’t to you.
Maybe I don’t know where to look on the internet, but I haven’t seen any dismay on the current crop of candidates. Where is the honest discussion on how their policy (or lack thereof) is going to doom us all to hell.
While I lean more to the left, I can see many positives on the conservative end of the spectrum. The democratic party can’t solve every single issue, neither can the republican party, sometimes, meeting in the middle and finding common ground is the best solution.
More to the point, party affiliation doesn’t really mean much to me. For example: I would vote for an honest republican, if they had better ideas than a democratic candidate.
Depending on the era and the particular crisis, a liberal solution might be right solution, at other times a conservative approach would yield better results.
For example: JFK cut taxes, and it was the right decision at the time. He reduced taxes on the top 1% from 90% to 65%- in that era, during that economy he took a conservative approach and democrats saw the value in that approach and agreed. Ike did the opposite, he didn’t try to lower the top tax rate from 90%- and conservatives of that time agreed that was the best approach.
Currently, I believe the liberal idea of raising taxes, and the republican mantra of cutting wasteful spending is the ideal solution to the deficit. The world isn’t colored in black and white; we aren’t going to balance the budget by just painting in one color- we need some gray.
Liberals believe we need to spend on infrastructure, to repair roads and bridges. We need to spend money on research and development- this can in turn cut costs for both medical care and on alternative forms of energy. In other words, sometimes you can save some money over the long term by spending some money in the now.
Conservatives believe we need to cut taxes and stop all spending, but before we do that, let’s look at the current state of the economy.
If you look at the last 30 years in an unbiased unpartisan way, you will see that the rich have increased their net wealth by 80% and there tax rate is lower than it has ever been before.
During that same 30 year period, the middle class has lost over 10% of all net wealth.
It would seem to me, the republican solution of cutting taxes, won’t get us out of this mess. If the rich are paying less than they ever have, how much more are we going to cut their tax rate? And if you succeed in cutting taxes now- what if it doesn’t work? Are you going to propose the same solution in 3 years from now? At some point their tax rate will be so low, there won’t be anything left to cut.
Putting the tax issue aside, who on the republican side is going to get us out of this ditch?
The current crop of republican candidates neither seem honest or smart enough to get the job done.
Mitt Romney- has flip flopped on every single damn issue known to man, and while its good for a laugh, there is a dark side to this. The man is will to do and say anything to become president of the US. This scares the living crap out of me. ALSO: He doesn’t want to cut defense, in fact he wants to beef it up so that we can bomb Iran into submission. Is Iran the way we get the economy moving again?
Herman Cain- his 9-9-9 plan is pathetic, most believe that it will generate fewer revenues than we currently do, at the same time it will lower the effective tax rate on the rich and shift that burden onto the poor and the middle class. This is an evil plan. . ALSO: He doesn’t want to cut defense, in fact he wants to beef it up so that we can bomb Iran into submission. Is Iran the way we get the economy moving again?
Rick Perry- this man is Bush part 3. I don’t know what else to say about it except to say you know better.
Michelle Bachman- if you are waiting for the rapture, I get it.
Ron Paul- a breath of fresh air, his truth telling is refreshing; this man wants to dismantle the federal government. In case you didn’t get it- he wants to destroy the federal government!
Rick Santorum- all he cares about is gays, and bombing IRAN.
Who are these losers? What the hell are they going to do to the country if we give them power? I honestly don’t see things getting better if any one of them get elected.
How can this crop be the best that the party has to offer, I’m offended for you.
If you aren’t criticizing these candidates - if you aren’t angry that the system has given you this wrecked menagerie to pick from- I have to ask you something.
My question:
What the fuck is wrong with you?
Maybe I don’t know where to look on the internet, but I haven’t seen any dismay on the current crop of candidates. Where is the honest discussion on how their policy (or lack thereof) is going to doom us all to hell.
While I lean more to the left, I can see many positives on the conservative end of the spectrum. The democratic party can’t solve every single issue, neither can the republican party, sometimes, meeting in the middle and finding common ground is the best solution.
More to the point, party affiliation doesn’t really mean much to me. For example: I would vote for an honest republican, if they had better ideas than a democratic candidate.
Depending on the era and the particular crisis, a liberal solution might be right solution, at other times a conservative approach would yield better results.
For example: JFK cut taxes, and it was the right decision at the time. He reduced taxes on the top 1% from 90% to 65%- in that era, during that economy he took a conservative approach and democrats saw the value in that approach and agreed. Ike did the opposite, he didn’t try to lower the top tax rate from 90%- and conservatives of that time agreed that was the best approach.
Currently, I believe the liberal idea of raising taxes, and the republican mantra of cutting wasteful spending is the ideal solution to the deficit. The world isn’t colored in black and white; we aren’t going to balance the budget by just painting in one color- we need some gray.
Liberals believe we need to spend on infrastructure, to repair roads and bridges. We need to spend money on research and development- this can in turn cut costs for both medical care and on alternative forms of energy. In other words, sometimes you can save some money over the long term by spending some money in the now.
Conservatives believe we need to cut taxes and stop all spending, but before we do that, let’s look at the current state of the economy.
If you look at the last 30 years in an unbiased unpartisan way, you will see that the rich have increased their net wealth by 80% and there tax rate is lower than it has ever been before.
During that same 30 year period, the middle class has lost over 10% of all net wealth.
It would seem to me, the republican solution of cutting taxes, won’t get us out of this mess. If the rich are paying less than they ever have, how much more are we going to cut their tax rate? And if you succeed in cutting taxes now- what if it doesn’t work? Are you going to propose the same solution in 3 years from now? At some point their tax rate will be so low, there won’t be anything left to cut.
Putting the tax issue aside, who on the republican side is going to get us out of this ditch?
The current crop of republican candidates neither seem honest or smart enough to get the job done.
Mitt Romney- has flip flopped on every single damn issue known to man, and while its good for a laugh, there is a dark side to this. The man is will to do and say anything to become president of the US. This scares the living crap out of me. ALSO: He doesn’t want to cut defense, in fact he wants to beef it up so that we can bomb Iran into submission. Is Iran the way we get the economy moving again?
Herman Cain- his 9-9-9 plan is pathetic, most believe that it will generate fewer revenues than we currently do, at the same time it will lower the effective tax rate on the rich and shift that burden onto the poor and the middle class. This is an evil plan. . ALSO: He doesn’t want to cut defense, in fact he wants to beef it up so that we can bomb Iran into submission. Is Iran the way we get the economy moving again?
Rick Perry- this man is Bush part 3. I don’t know what else to say about it except to say you know better.
Michelle Bachman- if you are waiting for the rapture, I get it.
Ron Paul- a breath of fresh air, his truth telling is refreshing; this man wants to dismantle the federal government. In case you didn’t get it- he wants to destroy the federal government!
Rick Santorum- all he cares about is gays, and bombing IRAN.
Who are these losers? What the hell are they going to do to the country if we give them power? I honestly don’t see things getting better if any one of them get elected.
How can this crop be the best that the party has to offer, I’m offended for you.
If you aren’t criticizing these candidates - if you aren’t angry that the system has given you this wrecked menagerie to pick from- I have to ask you something.
My question:
What the fuck is wrong with you?
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