TAXES

I wrote something about taxed today, something to the effect that poor people who work pay roughly 30 percent of their earnings into one form of tax or another. That means school tax, property tax, gasoline tax, stuff you buy tax, cigarette tax, liquor tax, car registration, tax on water, electric, gas, telephone and television bills and social security and medicare. Even if you don't pay a penny of federal income tax. So I'm pissed off that people are allowed to get away with the "47 percent don't pay income tax" nonsense, when most of those are retirees on pensions or social security, or veterans with physical/mental problems, or the working poor. And yes, there are a few freeloaders, but that's a very small percentage. Probably a lot more millionaires with tax havens don't pay federal income tax than poor people.
   So then some person writes and says that just imagine if I was not only paying the 30 percent I currently pay in general/property/gasoline taxes but was also paying 30 percent in federal income tax. And this is what I told the nitwit. And I am being generous here, calling this person a nitwit.

As someone who has paid 25 percent federal taxes most of my life, I not only understand, but have lived it. And when that salary drops--in my case because the internet took the money out of magazine journalism--well, you pay what you can. But having paid those taxes, I can say with certainty that it felt so so so so so good to have to pay them. It meant I was making $75 grand a year as a chef who was single; it meant I was making $100 grand as a writer! I would give anything to be asked to pay those taxes again because it would mean I was not only solvent, I was freaking rich! And that's the part the rich/wealthy/upper middle class miss. When you're paying those taxes--and I don't believe you or anyone else in the world has paid 30 percent federal in the last 30 years--it means you are well to do. It means you go out to dinner where and when you want. It means you buy a car in three days and not six months. It means you get to pay your bills on time and have a good credit rating and pay less interest on everything! It means that when your kid wants a new pair of sneaks you don't have to save for three weeks to do it! So YEAH! Bring me back the money and I'll pay those taxes in a heartbeat!!!!!!!!! I love paying taxes because it means I'm rich! And having been there, yeah, I miss it.