Teabag America!

[fuddle36767]

April 15th, the day tax returns are due, is scheduled for nationwide "Tea Parties" to protest taxes, named after the Boston Tea Party, where the colonists expressed disdain for "taxation without representation" from the British crown by dumping a shipload of tea into the Boston harbor, rather than pay the taxes on them.  The symbolic act pushed by organizers (i.e. Fox News, who promises all-day coverage on the 15th) is to send a teabag to Washington DC.

Besides the fact that the current tax structure has been implemented by duly elected representatives, of which these people had no small part in electing since 2000, they chose an unfortunate teabag symbol for the so-called movement (see Teabagging in the Urban Dictionary if you don't get it), which has been great fodder for left-leaning bloggers and media.  (Watch this clip from MSNBC for a great example - even if you don't regularly watch -or truly detest- MSNBC, it's funny and full of double entendre, with a shocking last line for a primetime broadcast).


I don't think it takes the left to make a joke of these people, they're doing a pretty good job all by themselves.

[Lucerin Red]

Last I checked, the whole teabag thing this time around was in protest of the bailout. The idea is that the bailout does not REPRESENT what the majority of the people want. We can vote a number of people into office, but they can improperly represent us.

On another note, FUCK the income tax. Get rid of it, and quit spending so god dammed much.

[vicious796]

It's funny how my company is alot like the government in the spending regard.

[AceHigh]

On another note, FUCK the income tax. Get rid of it, and quit spending so god dammed much.

So how exactly will following things that many people use every day be paid for: police, fire department, prison, sewers, public roads, free recreation facilities (parks, stadiums, etc) and land fills? I mean do you really want to pay individually for every single thing?

[Lucerin Red]

On another note, FUCK the income tax. Get rid of it, and quit spending so god dammed much.

So how exactly will following things that many people use every day be paid for: police, fire department, prison, sewers, public roads, free recreation facilities (parks, stadiums, etc) and land fills? I mean do you really want to pay individually for every single thing?

If you got rid of income tax, you'd still have more money coming into the government than you did in the year 2000, the problem is spending is completely out of whack. If the government would only handle the things that you listed, then we'd be in a LOT better shape, the problem is they do all this other shit that completely destroys our budget.

[AceHigh]

I do not disagree that money is spent on bullshit most of the time. This is a problem in all nations, however I still have to ask why get rid of income tax? Isn't that the one which brings most money? Also it makes sense, you are paying for public services. On other hand sales tax IMO is completely illogical and we would all be better of without it.
 

[Lucerin Red]

the average american looses 1/4-1/3 of their wages to income tax. I think that money could be better used in the hands of the people and to spur the economy. Income tax brings in little in comparison to other taxes. Like I said, we would be perfectly fine without it as long as we cut some stupid spending.

Also sales tax is a state tax, not a federal one. There is no federal sales tax. Florida, for example, has no sales tax but balance it with high property taxes, and the opposite for tennessee.

[AceHigh]

Hmmm.... how much exactly I wonder. Would be nice to see a graph of different taxes and how much their income is.

Also just like sales tax, property tax is illogical. Why the hell do you have to pay for what you paid already? I hate paying for things that make no sense. 

[Lucerin Red]

Hmmm.... how much exactly I wonder. Would be nice to see a graph of different taxes and how much their income is.

Also just like sales tax, property tax is illogical. Why the hell do you have to pay for what you paid already? I hate paying for things that make no sense. 

I'll see if I can find it, but pretty much everything you listed earlier, police, fire department, prison, sewers, public roads, free recreation facilities (parks, stadiums, etc) and land fills, are taken care of by the state in the first place. The only one of those things that the federal government takes care of is the interstate.

As far as your federal tax goes, 24% goes to The Department of Health and Human Services(Medicare & Medicaid), 23% to The Social Security Administration, 20% to The Department of Defense, and 18% to The Department of the Treasury(Interest on the Public Debt, IRS). The remainder of the government(Dept of Justice, Energy, Homeland Security, Housing, International assistance, Legislative branch, Dept of Agriculture, Dept of Education, Dept of Labor, Dept of Transportation, etc) runs off of that remaining 15%. http://www.taxbreakdown.org/

Department of Health and Human Services needs to be completely revamped or destroyed. it is EXTREMELY inefficient with it's money and is a burden to the tax payers. Similar to Social Security. The public gets far less money out of it than what they put in. Department of Defense budget could drastically be reduced if we got rid of our foreign deployment and stopped trying to be the world's police. There is no longer any reason for us to be in Germany, Japan, etc. They cost far much more than mainland bases. Majority of the cost for the war on terror went to transporting vehicles and troops to and from Iraq and Afghanistan. Our military policy should be to strengthen our national defense, we can easily deploy to the rest of the world in a matter of hours now. Unfortunately, the department of the treasury can't go anywhere because we need to pay back all this retarded amount of money we owe, but we should be working to fix that rather than doubling the national debt.

[AceHigh]

As far as your federal tax goes, 24% goes to The Department of Health and Human Services(Medicare & Medicaid), 23% to The Social Security Administration, 20% to The Department of Defense

So by removing income tax you would have to disband the military?

Department of Health and Human Services needs to be completely revamped or destroyed. it is EXTREMELY inefficient with it's money and is a burden to the tax payers. Similar to Social Security.

Heh, I bet that if the hospitals were not privatized and the budgeting system would be more efficient like in Europe, then those money would be enough to provide everyone with free healthcare.

Department of Defense budget could drastically be reduced if we got rid of our foreign deployment and stopped trying to be the world's police. There is no longer any reason for us to be in Germany, Japan, etc.

Funny I just read an article where Germany requests USA to remove their nukes from Germany. Guess the reason! Because those nukes are so old that they are deemed hazardous the way they are stored now. Funny, here we all laugh that Russian nukes wouldn't be able to lift off because they are old pieces of junk and it seems that USA started to fall into that category.

They cost far much more than mainland bases. Majority of the cost for the war on terror went to transporting vehicles and troops to and from Iraq and Afghanistan. Our military policy should be to strengthen our national defense, we can easily deploy to the rest of the world in a matter of hours now.

I know, one Battlebarge in space could drop Space Marine squads anywhere in a matter of minutes! (sorry, couldn't resist)

Ok, fine, how do states get their money for all the shit? I mean no income tax for them? I live in a unitary country, have no idea how the taxes work in a federation.

[Lucerin Red]

No, that would not disband the military, as I pointed out, you could drastically reduce costs by cutting out foreign peacetime deployment. The %'s quote are how much of your federal income tax dollars go to which departments, not what percentage of those departments budgets are income tax.

As far as hospitals go, I doubt it. Hospitals are mostly efficient with their money, the government is what is not. The government run hospitals  are the worse. The horrors I've heard from spending in the VA hospitals are some of the worst, they blow so much money so that it looks like they need more money so their budget doesn't decrease.

Ok, fine, how do states get their money for all the shit? I mean no income tax for them? I live in a unitary country, have no idea how the taxes work in a federation.

States do income tax, but it's separate from federal and a lot lower too. States also get lots of money from sales tax, property tax, etc.

[AceHigh]

No, that would not disband the military, as I pointed out, you could drastically reduce costs by cutting out foreign peacetime deployment. The %'s quote are how much of your federal income tax dollars go to which departments, not what percentage of those departments budgets are income tax.

Ok so the military has another source of income?

As far as hospitals go, I doubt it. Hospitals are mostly efficient with their money, the government is what is not. The government run hospitals  are the worse. The horrors I've heard from spending in the VA hospitals are some of the worst, they blow so much money so that it looks like they need more money so their budget doesn't decrease.

Then what makes the healthcare in USA the most expensive in the world? (and yet still inefficient compared to Japan and western europe)

States do income tax, but it's separate from federal and a lot lower too. States also get lots of money from sales tax, property tax, etc.

Ha! So you do get double taxed! Federations must suck balls.
Here is an idea, taxing Washington DC would probably be enough to keep the government iteslf running and the rest of the country have state taxes only.

[queenmetroid]

Here is an idea, taxing Washington DC would probably be enough to keep the government iteslf running and the rest of the country have state taxes only.

D.C. does get taxed, but they aren't allowed to vote. Yet more wonderful logic from the US Government.

[Lucerin Red]

Here is an idea, taxing Washington DC would probably be enough to keep the government iteslf running and the rest of the country have state taxes only.

D.C. does get taxed, but they aren't allowed to vote. Yet more wonderful logic from the US Government.

they do get to vote, they just don't have a representative in congress or the house..

The US government makes tons of money through other means such as tarriffs, and the military generates lots of income through its technology it generates.

and yes, we get doubly taxed, it sucks, though it's still much less than most socialist European countries

[queenmetroid]

Eh, Britain takes 50% right up front not including sales tax. If you are quote "middle class" like me, you'll still be taxed less in America than in the EU.

[AceHigh]

The US government makes tons of money through other means such as tarriffs, and the military generates lots of income through its technology it generates.

Hmmm... I thought that the ones who make the technology are private companies, no doubt they make revenue.

and yes, we get doubly taxed, it sucks, though it's still much less than most socialist European countries

Eh, Britain takes 50% right up front not including sales tax. If you are quote "middle class" like me, you'll still be taxed less in America than in the EU.

Yes of course, we have higher taxes, no doubt about that. Although 50% sounds too much for Britain, that is what they take here from the rich class. What i have a problem with though is double taxation and taxes that don't make any sense. Wonder if members of EU are double taxed as well 

[lx4]

Its fun to think that we have taxes ten times higher then what would have gotten any leader qualified as a tyrant and probably overthrown in the old days. In that sense democracy is a beautiful thing, makes the people willingly accept things they never would have dreamed of tolerating if it came from any other form of government.

[AceHigh]

HA! The best thing I have heard today. This is so true that it hurts.

Our politicians are trying to sell us the idea that our high taxes is a price to pay for living in the best nation in the world 

[Lucerin Red]

HA! The best thing I have heard today. This is so true that it hurts.

Our politicians are trying to sell us the idea that our high taxes is a price to pay for living in the best nation in the world 

Its the history of any democracy, the poor people keep voting for programs and leaders which give them free stuff that they will never have to pay for because they never plan on actually rising above their current situation. This is the problem with socialism in a large disconnected society. Nobody feels any responsibility to the government. People think the government is there to take care of them, but the problem is a social issue, and can't be solved through legislation and programs, it can only be solved through social means.

In some ways, I feel like people who are worth less than $100,000 shouldn't have the right to vote, because they don't pay for anything within the system.

[relic2279]

In some ways, I feel like people who are worth less than $100,000 shouldn't have the right to vote, because they don't pay for anything within the system.

Yay for fascism. As national corporatism is an attribute of fascism which pretty much guarantees that 95% of Americans would have no right to vote, leaving only the wealthy elite with power.