Why are taxes such an issue?

[dogman_1234]

Problem?

 

[anwaypasible]

i know why.
because people look at their check and see how much money is there..
then they start to daydream the thought 'what if this check had $50 extra'

sometimes the person looks at the money removed and thinks 'that is MY money.. where is it going?'

tax really isnt an issue of MY money.
it is a fee to be here on this planet.
the whole fixing roads because you use them too when you go from one place to the next.
making certain the teacher have big pieces of chalk.. because it makes them happy and they teach the kids better.

they really need to start putting air conditioning in ALL of the schools that see temperatures more than 73 degrees F.

 

[wanamingo]

I dont have any problems paying my taxes. We live in a great country with adequate infrastructure and police. I wouldnt even mind paying more if that meant paying down the deceit or getting cheaper education.

 

[dogman_1234]

^ Can you write a directory tax to where you want the money to go to? Like infrastructure or job creation?

 

[jitpublisher]

Problem?

Um, okay, that has to rank really high on the list of questions created out of complete ignorance that I have ever seen on this, or any forum for that matter.

 

[jitpublisher]

i know why.
because people look at their check and see how much money is there..
then they start to daydream the thought 'what if this check had $50 extra'

sometimes the person looks at the money removed and thinks 'that is MY money.. where is it going?'

tax really isnt an issue of MY money.
it is a fee to be here on this planet.
the whole fixing roads because you use them too when you go from one place to the next.
making certain the teacher have big pieces of chalk.. because it makes them happy and they teach the kids better.

they really need to start putting air conditioning in ALL of the schools that see temperatures more than 73 degrees F.

$50, really? Where do you work, part time at McDonalds?

Let me put this into perspective.
I am not a "wealthy" individual.
I am probably what most people would call a middle class person.
I paid over $10,000 last year in personal income tax.
I paid another $4000 in personal property taxes on items I OWN. (bought and paid for already, as well as a sales tax of about 7%-9% on those same items at the time of purchase.)
I pay about 8.9% sales tax on EVERY ITEM I BUY.
Not to mention capitol gains taxes, gift taxes, and oh well, you get the picture. And yet, someone asks, "why are taxes such a big deal" That person clearly is either a child living at home that someone else supports, or an inmate, or they are on welfare living off of the rest of us.

 

[dogman_1234]

Um, okay, that has to rank really high on the list of questions created out of complete ignorance that I have ever seen on this, or any forum for that matter.

I was keeping it simple to keep bias out.

Sorry if I offended your all powerful intellectual capabilities that others do not posses. BTW, have you met my friend awp?

 

[dogman_1234]

$50, really? Where do you work, part time at McDonalds?

Let me put this into perspective.
I am not a "wealthy" individual.
I am probably what most people would call a middle class person.
I paid over $10,000 last year in personal income tax.
I paid another $4000 in personal property taxes on items I OWN. (bought and paid for already, as well as a sales tax of about 7%-9% on those same items at the time of purchase.)
I pay about 8.9% sales tax on EVERY ITEM I BUY.
Not to mention capitol gains taxes, gift taxes, and oh well, you get the picture. And yet, someone asks, "why are taxes such a big deal" That person clearly is either a child living at home that someone else supports, or an inmate, or they are on welfare living off of the rest of us.

What state do you live in?

 

[jitpublisher]

Washington.
I am not trying to be an intelekutual, I am simply saying that if you have to ask about taxes, you apparently aren't paying them.

 

[dogman_1234]

Washington.

Figures. I know people who live there.

Yes, I pay taxes...not much thought due to my pay.

 

[jsc]

We do not have a tax problem. We have a spending problem.

 

[dogman_1234]

^ Agreed, but the issue is why should we give ore to spenders?

 

[dogman_1234]

The motto of the Teabagger. Simple, and catchy.

 

[dogman_1234]

Here is the guy who started the phrase:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=if88PgI-vfU

 

[dogman_1234]

^ I just did.

 

[anwaypasible]

We do not have a tax problem. We have a spending problem.

this truth is already known.

people like jitpublisher get a chance to express themselves all upset about the money they pay to live on this planet.
but
because of all the anger, they talk to other people.. and those people are equally angry.
then..
nobody realizes the MASSIVE amount of money taxes bring in every year.

somebody else comes along and says 'we have a spending problem'
it makes some people think 'all of our tax money is gone'
but
it makes other people think 'they didnt spend it all on new toilet seats'

here is where it gets worse.
because people know all of that money simply cannot get spent all in one year.
people get really angry because they dont know where the money is going.. BECAUSE the government wont tell them where the money is going.

stop giving yourself a heart attack about it.
that money has to get paid by everybody at some point in the month.
if you could open your mind a little bit.. you might think your tax money pays for the internet to get created.
or
to run this forum on tomshardware.com

now..
would it be better to put air conditioners in the schools that dont have them already?
yes it would be.
but
would those air conditioners make a bigger impact?
that question could get some confusion.
most kids will learn better in school with the air conditioner.
some kids will use the fresh air as an excuse to be a clown.

how about this..
what school is willing to accept a bunch of free air conditioners (or a couple industrial size a/c units) if the new electricity bill is going to be an extra ________ per month?

the school system has already been molded into complaining about how financially poor they are.
to add a huge electric bill onto the monthly bills..
that seems like a MEAN thing to do.. rather than a nice thing to do.

of course,
the children need it no matter how much it costs.
especially when the classroom sizes are bigger and bigger.


taxes pay for a lot of things people never ever use.
and that makes people angry because the things they do use everyday is not something they can grab ahold of and be happy with.

take those numbers you gave out.
then think about how much money the local government makes each month at the local courthouse.
seems like every single person is getting a fine that costs at least $100
sometimes as high as $800
plus the money they spent to bond out of jail early.. another $100 - $300


there is more money coming in than anybody can keep track of.
we DO NOT spend it all.. unless it went towards cell phone towers and the internet.
because then..
we would have some debt to get rid of.
and we are all using the internet right now.. so i think it is best we look at the many improvements in speed the internet has gone through.
and then look at what websites are offering on the website (because this one is really going to raise hell).

the cell phones appear to be making everybody as happy as could be expected.
and that doesnt give anybody the right to think the dull and embarassing internet is any better or 'innocent'

the technological revolution has been underway since the time all of this 'stuff' was being invented and tested.
that is where the most of the money went.. to create this technological world we live in.

once we round our way to being complete.. there will be more money to spend.
perhaps ya'll are simply laughing and teasing at such a thought?

 

[anwaypasible]

Simple. WE shouldn't.

T- Taxed
E- Enough
A- Already

Has nothing to do with bags of nuts dipping in mouths.

here is more truth as to where the tax money went.
tea can seriously be strong enough to make a person clinically ill.
obviously it isnt as wild anymore, because the money was spent to look at it all under a microscope to learn it and master it.

now if we can do that for tea..
what other things do you imagine we could have done it for?
how about television technology
or wireless technology

or go back to chemistry and think about all of the things available from now, tomorrow, and the past 60+ years.

i already know:
cache rules everything around me. (but it is starting to get inside in a real disgusting form)

 

[anwaypasible]

What does taxes have to do with tea bagging which is a sexual act?

creating, distributing, and absorbing the tea are a sexual act or romantic?

i can think either way.
and with that said..
what about the money spent on the research to allow a condom to be applied from what appears to be spit.?
the dumb thing is very thin.. as if it really was spit.

 

[Reynod]

Simply the US does not pay enough tax and spends too much money.

Either spend less on the govt budget ... or pay more tax.

Here we pay more taxes.

Since you guys clearly don't want to ... then you can't have decent public schools, hospitals, and all of the rest of the thiings we take for granted.

Simple.

 

[chunkymonster]

...it makes other people think 'they didnt spend it all on new toilet seats'...unless it went towards cell phone towers...the cell phones appear to be making everybody as happy as could be expected...tea can seriously be strong enough to make a person clinically ill...cache rules everything around me...what about the money spent on the research to allow a condom to be applied from what appears to be spit...the dumb thing is very thin.. as if it really was spit.

Between these ramblings and your avatar, it may be time to put down the bong and lay off the kind bud for a while. Nothing personal, just saying...

 

[Mutt x]

I love what “jitpublisher” had to say because it’s spot on. It would be an awesome research project to see how much of a $100 product’s price tag is actually the result of taxes.

Take a $100 set of RAM for example. First, you have all the income and entitlement taxes on all the people who handle the product from raw materials, to manufacturing, to assembly, to delivery etc. Then you have “hidden” taxes like taxes on fuel, utilities, licenses, etc. You would also need to factor in property taxes, tariffs, excise taxes etc. It wouldn’t surprise me if 50% of the final cost is actually tax.

Since government is essential for civilization I am not opposed to taxes, but I am opposed to the government creeping into non-essential areas. Remember, that the US Constitution was intended to severely LIMIT government. Any powers not specifically enumerated are by default excluded and/or reserved for the states or individuals.

When a person takes the Constitution seriously (that the government is best kept small), understands that the government can never EARN money (only take it), and recognizes that governments are always wasteful (being free of market pressures) then they get upset when politicians want to spend more of their money to keep themselves in office.

Now, if you are in the group of Americans who pay NO federal income tax (around 47%-- http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Nearly-half-of-US-households-apf-1105567323.html?x=0) then you probably don’t care as much about raising taxes. But probably the biggest group of people who don’t care that much about tax increases are the people who just don’t realize how much of their earnings are going to the government. (educate yourself at: http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/index.cfm)

 

[jsc]

Since you guys clearly don't want to ... then you can't have decent public schools, hospitals, and all of the rest of the thiings we take for granted.

Sure, we can. Take education for example. DoEd. has had 30 years to make progress with the public schools. So far, they are mostly progressing - backwards.

Compare the US DoD school system for military dependents with the civilian schools. They are much better. It's not money. They spend less per student.

It's not student quality. According to liberal perceptions, we are too stupid to find and keep a regular job. And intelligence is a heritable trait.

What could it be? Could it be that the DoD school system is under the DoD and not the DoEd? Could it be that they can hold parents accountable for their children's conduct? Could it be that the NEA (not the National Endowment for the Arts) has little influence?

Or could it be all three factors?

For that matter, private schools, on the average, spend less per student than the public schools do in the U.S.

 

[MU_Engineer]

i know why.
because people look at their check and see how much money is there..
then they start to daydream the thought 'what if this check had $50 extra'

sometimes the person looks at the money removed and thinks 'that is MY money.. where is it going?'

tax really isnt an issue of MY money.
it is a fee to be here on this planet.
the whole fixing roads because you use them too when you go from one place to the next.
making certain the teacher have big pieces of chalk.. because it makes them happy and they teach the kids better.

they really need to start putting air conditioning in ALL of the schools that see temperatures more than 73 degrees F.

The problem is that your tax dollars don't just go to things that you like and are useful, they go to a lot of other things as well that you would not agree with. They go to paying for a wind farm made with windmills from a major campaign donor's firm. They go to paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for statues of fornicating dogs on California overpasses and for welfare money that gets spend buying booze, lottery tickets, and cigarettes. THAT'S why a lot of us are upset at taxes- there is a lot of waste and crap that our money goes towards that basically only benefits the politicians controlling the purse strings. Most of us also pay well over $50 a paycheck in taxes- I earn a pretty average income and it's several hundred dollars in taxes out of each check every two weeks. And if you have a good job, you're losing 40-50% out of each check to pay for federal income taxes, Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid, and state income taxes. That gets pretty darned depressing, especially if you've done things like work a bunch of overtime or traveling and missed out on a lot of nights and weekends to get that extra money.

 

[anwaypasible]

i dont think it is fair to allow you to continue thinking the $50 is all of the taxes being taken out.
i was simply stating, i myself have looked at those deductions and thought 'what if i could get an extra $50 per month somehow from this check i am receiving?'

the biggest problem is people who start to care, and then fall completely short.
how much do people think it costs for booze or cigarettes to be made?
i'm thinking we can start the conversation at pennies.
why would anybody think a huge business like a tobacco or liquor company would give all that money to ONE person?
so that one person could get mad and throw a fit.. walking away from the family with ALL of the money?
that is complete stupidity and an outrage.
the money would be going towards a families last name.. or to the government.
and that is exactly how the government can earn money.

if i was the government and i gave you $600 per month to spend.. chances are, the ratio to get that $600 is much MUCH smaller than the ratio you would pay when you buy government owned (or affiliated) products.

lets say this to really put it at rest.
we have 6.25% sales tax on everything here in this area.
if i took all of the $600 from the local sales tax.. and you went out to buy a bottle of liquor for $25 ON SALE ... you would be giving the government something like 90% profit.

hello...
it took 6.25% to get us to $600
and with ONE payment.. you gave back at a rate of 90% profit.

compare those two numbers..
6.25% vs. 90%

the money is pouring in like a water dam that has ceased to exist.
with that much money available.. a massive amount can get funded.
that is why you see things like secret service personnel or undercover cops (teenagers) getting paid cash.

you might be absolutely correct about the politicians holding onto the the money by controlling the purse strings.
but
that is because the government has an overhead policy that can completely control spending by setting down a policy for the sake of psychological want/demand.
if you go spending that money without permission.. they will snap their fingers and say it isnt your money to be spending, and that is how you see politicians go to jail over something that makes hardly any sense.

it is what you dont see that is more weird.
millionaires who are constantly escorted is quite often the number one form of punishment.
because those escorts bring friends, and together they make your life a living hell.
and at the end of the day.. you have to realize those people making your life a living hell are actually getting paid for it.

hmm..
lets think about that.
the person (or people) making your life a living hell are getting paid for it (or remain affiliated with the government).
that obviously means one of two things:
1. they are a member of a new mob that is spending business money amongst the people to get things done.
2. the government is spending money amongst the people to get things done.

when was the last time you ever heard of a mob that WASNT government affiliated?

 

[MysticMiner]

What could it be? Could it be that the DoD school system is under the DoD and not the DoEd? Could it be that they can hold parents accountable for their children's conduct? Could it be that the NEA (not the National Endowment for the Arts) has little influence?

Or could it be all three factors?

You left out the group that's actually in charge of your local schools. The local school board, with possibly some influence by the state department of education. In terms of involvement, the Federal Department of Education actually does almost nothing. They don't hire the employees. They don't set the curriculum. They don't build the schools.

Here's what they do...collect data, pass out federal checks (most of which are decided by Congress), and maybe a bit of enforcement if Congress tells them to do something. But it's really not much. And it's all their authorized to do, so don't complain about them doing nothing.

In comparison other countries with a much higher rating for school effectiveness have a much more centralized education system.