Most people are aware that the tax system is complicated. The more complicated something is, the more room for mistakes there are. For this reason, I think it ought to be simplified, and believe that it can be done to a great degree.
My ideal tax system would have the following properties:
The Republicans have charged the Obama campaign with being socialist because of the comment that Sen. Obama made to "Joe The Plumber." One Florida TV anchor (Barbara West) even brought up Karl Marx (her husband is a Republican strategist) in a sateliite interview with Sen. Biden.
Since the 16th amendment passed in 1913 we have had a progressive income tax that does indeed "distribute" a portion of the wealth:
The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.
Federal Income tax funds the Federal budget—at least the portion that isn't deficit. Some of the money goes to provide the safety net in this country. Examples are Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Both cover many people without means. And then there is the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which was started under the Reagan Administration. In 1986 Reagan called the EITC, “the best anti-poverty, the best pro-family, the best job creation measure to come out of Congress.” If Reagan is McCain's hero as he had said he is, then would he call Ronald Reagan a socialist?So it's complete hogwash to label Sen. Obama a socialist since he didn't invent any of these systems.
But if we want to talk about distributing the wealth then let's talk about the Iraq War launched by a Republican president with whom John McCain agreed. How many times did George W. Bush go to Congress with his hat in hand asking for billions and billions of dollars in emergency spending to fund the war? Many of those dollars went into the coffers of companies that back Republicans and that won no-bid contracts. Blackwater is a good example. To make fiscal matters worse these dollars were not included in the budget.
In addition, there had been a redistribution of wealth under Republican rule: the rich have become richer and the poor poorer.
The bottom line it's totally disingenuous for the McCain-Palin campaign to label Sen. Obama a socialist.
Things are not clear to me just as yet. However, I signed up because who in their right mind would vote McCain/Palin? I want to know if the elderly don't have to pay income taxes on the Obama ticket, will the disabled who can't work anymore also have this big break? I worked until I was sick and that was 7 years ago. I will never own my own home, never be able to buy life insurance without paying up the waa-zoo for it, and will never be able to travel un-tethered to the state of Michigan. What about all the benefits that have been taken from us over the years. Glasses, I can't see without them. Dental care, I can't chew without teeth. Will we ever see these things given back to us again or am I asking too much?
Let me see if I've got this right: the U.S. economy is imploding because huge financial institutions were deregulated and allowed to create multiple layers of indebtedness that nobody could understand, let alone control. Billions of taxpayer dollars are shoring up the biggest and most rapacious of those institutions (the others collapsed), by buying their bad debt. Millions of Americans who don't understand how it works have been living beyond their means for years, buying houses and hardware they can't afford, and now the government is asking them to spend more money they haven't got to buy more stuff they can't afford. To make more debt possible, the Feds have cut interest rates yet again so people who can't afford things can borrow money they can't pay back to buy more stuff. Meanwhile, the executives at all these companies (not to mention the government officials who are making these policies) are getting (not earning, mind you) six- and seven-figure salaries to put their pants on one leg at a time. One of the biggest demographic groups in the country, people over 55 who are nearing retirement or already retired, are seeing their (our) nest-eggs shrink as the value of our stock plummets, so that by the time we are, oh, say 75 or 80 we will have no money left to live on. As for Social Security, even if it continues to function the way it does now, it is not enough to live on, not even in low-rent rural areas. And if we get sick, we're doomed, since this is the only industrialized, developed country in the world that has no universal healthcare program. Most of us can't even find a primary care physician, because doctors are leaving primary care in droves as a result of the measly payments they receive and the pressures of the paperwork they are required to do for the for-profit insurance companies. If we actually have a doctor, Medicare will not pay for the annual check-up that often finds problems early and treats them before they become worse and more expensive to deal with.
So, please, Sen. Obama, listen up: Creating more debt to save an economy based on reckless indebtedness is not the solution. Cutting interest rates to starve the elderly who depend on fixed-income investment and Social Security for the rock-bottom basics like food and shelter is not the solution. Mandating private insurance to cover routine medical care is not the solution. "The economy" does not need to "grow" on paper at the expense of the American people. What this country needs is careful governance and Federal regulation to curb debt, provide food and shelter and basic healthcare for everyone, and income tax reform to make said income tax redistributive once again. Go back to your history books and look at what the New Deal was all about. Then do it again.
Obama clearly does not understand the concept of a professional working mother, because he is out to destroy the concept.
Dual income working families have little to no spare time. It is non existent.Two married professionals, making 125K each, married filing jointly, are currently with the Bush tax cuts paying 87,500 approximately in fed taxes after exemptions (which are phased out at the level), 23,000 for the privilege of living in MC and Maryland, 14,140 in social security taxes, and 3600 in Medicare for good measure. So one income is almost completely consumed by taxes - 124,033. However, if they have kids under school age, they are probably paying a nanny. Nannys run about 25,000 a year in after tax money. Minimum of 10,000 a year for one kid for day care. So actually they have about 100,967 of income left. If mom quits, that same couple at 125,000 of income would have 86445 of expendable income after taxes. So working mom under Bush is working for approximately 15,000 a year until her kids are old enough not to need that nanny or daycare. Assume about 10 years. And mom and dad are stressed all the time juggling.Same couple, Obama plan. Mom is now working for 1500 a year, because that couples fed is now 96127, state is 12,500, local is 7500 and social security is 17,500 and medicare is 3625. Taxes under this scenario : 138K. Tax home pay after you pay 25K for child care is $1500.00. Take home pay even after you raise your kids : 26.5K.Why would Mom work ever continue to work under these circumstances ? For an extra $1500 and a whole lot more stress ?
With our graduated extremely progressive tax scale, and the restoration of the marriage penalty relief (expires with the Bush tax cuts)...
Simply no point in working.
For the college educated single working young women out there, were you planning on having kids ? were you planning on going into management ? Your friend Barack is out to kill your career aspirations.
Tax Cut for Working Families
Obama will provide a "Making Work Pay" tax credit of $500 per person, or $1,000 per working family. The Making Work Pay tax credit will completely eliminate income taxes for 10 million Americans.
Simplify Tax Filings for Middle Class Americans
Obama will dramatically simplify tax filings so that millions of Americans will be able to do their taxes in less than five minutes. Obama will ensure that the IRS uses the information it already gets from banks and employers to give tax payers the option of pre-filled tax forms to verify, sign and return.
Experts estimate that the Obama proposal will save Americans up to 200 million total hours of work and aggravation and up to $2 billion in tax preparer fees.
Warren Buffett, the world's third richest person talks about how the wealthy pay a much lower tax rate than the middle class: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z_UrOKtjHk
OBAMA'08
"Make Work Pay"
Do not despair Obama Democrats. Pennsylvania was a speed bump, but certainly not a permanent one. In spite of the loss on April 23, 2008, Obama still cut Clinton’s lead in Pennsylvania by over 10 percentage points. In order to catch Obama, Clinton will need to win by double digits from now until August 2008. The fat lady is not yet singing. Let us consider some obvious and not so obvious facts here.
First, Obama has not only won more popular votes, but he has received over 100 additional Super Delegates in about a month. He is roughly some 23 Super Delegates behind Hillary Clinton.
Second, if Democratic Party Super Delegates decide this election rather than the delegates chosen by voters, they might as well hand John McCain the keys to the Whitehouse.
Third, we cannot go by voter demographics. There are too many newly registered voters and too many new financial contributors to make easy predictions. Importantly, we must not lose sight of the following:
We must not waver. Stay the course. Keep moving. YES, WE CAN!!
Copyright © 2008 Leslye J Allen
Fact: If Hillary Clinton gets elected, the US Presidency will held for 24 consecutive years by members of just two families. This is the antithesis of change and the Obama campaign needs to start calling this out, making people aware of how truly preposterous machine politics have become; how anyone can become President co long as their name is Clinton or Bush.
The last thing this country needs is a dynasty and rule by entitlement.
Also, I am recommending that Sen. Obama propose lifetime federal income tax exemption for ALL combat veterans. They've sacrificed enough and not only would these be profoundly pro-military in terms of truly supporting the troops, but would almost certainly rally them to the Obama cause, away from Hilliary and away from a Republican.Time, I think, to get these two powerful messages out.
Rick Hill
Republican For Obama
Escondido, CA
I am hopeful about the opportunity to elect a leader who stands for the people and is unafraid to confront corruption in our government. However, if Barack is going to do this, he must do it all the way.
Condemning the war in Iraq is a good step. But there's a lot more that must be done at this fragile time in our country's history. We are being ruled by a covert fascist government whose goal is total control over the population at the cost of our freedom, our resources, and our very lives. Let's look at just some of the corruption in our govt today:
Supporting the propoganda about who was at the cause of 9-11 is unacceptable. There is tremendous evidence that our government not only had ample warning of the attacks, but was actually behind the attacks through purposeful negligence. 9-11 provided the justification that neo-cons had been specifically plotting for over a decade in order to pursue their geostrategic goal of occupying the middle east. It was about world control, oil profits, and war profiteering.
No link was ever found between the events of 9-11 and Afghanistan, Bin Laden, or Iraq. Even the "hijackers" named by the FBI were from Saudi Arabia. So why does Barack say in 2002 and repeat it now that we must go after Bin Laden for 9-11? And how can he ignore all the evidence that the US was responsible?
Why did Bush refuse to testify or even to allow an investigation into 9-11? Only a guilty person has something to hide. For protection of national security? What national security? Even our multi-billion dollar NORAD military super satelite space system which is designed to stop and capale of stopping attacks like 9-11 didn't work. "Protecting national security" = "covering up Bush's crimes".
Barack, did you know that it has been proven that Bush received funding from Bin Laden's family as early as 1980? Or that Bush Sr was sitting with Bin Laden's brother at a meeting of the Carlyle Ivestment group on 9-11? Or that the Bin Laden family was flown out of the US "for their own protection" by the US govt. when all other air traffic was grounded after 9-11? Or that Bush forbid FBi agents from investigating Al-Qaeda in the US leading up to the attacks? The head of the FBI resigned in frustration and his new job was head of security at the WTC. His first day of work? Sep 11. He died in the attacks. Or that the Enron investigation records possibly pointing to Bush's involvement were stored in the WTC and destroyed on 9-11? It goes on and on and on.
How can we stand for anything less than a public trial of the entire Bush administration for political corruption and crime? Think Enron, 9-11, Haliburton, war profiteering, dividing Iraq's oil to US oil companies, election rigging, erosion of civil liberties, raping the environment, killing thousands of innocent people in every country we attack, lies, fraud, stealing.
Barack, you can't forge a bold new future by holding hands with the most evil and corrupt men alive. And telling them they should do better isn't enough, either. You need to bring them to JUSTICE. You need to totally rout evil out of Washington. We need a political revolution.
We need to end the privitization of the Federal Reserve and the income tax that pays the outrageous interest to the bankers who own our country. The right to print money belongs to the people, to our govt, not to bankers. And people working their ass off to survive shouldn't be paying income tax on those wages, especially when it goes straight into the pocket of war profiteers and rich bankers. The Federal Reserve and war profiteers like Haliburton need to be brough to JUSTICE. They need to be tried and convicted of theft, treason, fraud, and everything else they've committed. They need to have their assets seized and they need to go to prison for life.
Wake up, Barack. A little change is not enough. We need a revolution. We need JUSTICE. Only then will we truly be free.
The people of this country will stand behind you because we want true freedom. It is quickly becoming too late to save this country and this world. Let's do it now!
