Thursday, October 20, 2011

Just to be clear ...

Steve Benen explains how the "47% of Americans don't pay taxes" line is nothing but a buncha bullshit:

...

The notion that 47 percent of Americans currently don’t pay taxes is just wrong. In case anyone’s forgotten, millions of Americans may be exempt from federal income taxes, but they still pay sales taxes, state taxes, local taxes, Social Security taxes, Medicare/Medicaid taxes, and in many instances, property taxes. It’s not as if these folks are getting away with something — the existing tax structure leaves them out of the income tax system because they don’t make enough money to qualify. Some are students, some are unemployed, and many are retirees who can’t earn an income because they’re no longer in the workforce.

...


It's the same thing when people say undocumented immigrants just freeload. At the very least, here in Suffolk County NY where I live, they pay 8.625% on everything they buy. They pay tolls on our highways and their apartment's landlord pays property taxes from the rent they pay. They also spend money in our local economy, buying the necessaries, taking the car to the mechanic, or getting a hair cut.

I'm so sick and tired of the poor being demonized. Georgia and Alabama learned how much the undocumented added to their economy once they chased them all away. If we tax those who couldn't afford it, they will have less money to spend in the economy affecting the jobs and income of their neighbors and local businesses.

By, as Michelle Bachmann says, demanding the poor pay something they probably can't afford, they're demonizing the poor to deflect criticism of the rich and corporations who can afford to pay far more than they do without affecting the bottom line.

If you're not a millionaire you shouldn't be voting Republican.

2 comments:

CAFKIA said...

I would add that if anyone, undocumented or just hiding from an ex-spouse, works using a false ssn (I have reason to suspect that this sort of thing happens), they are contributing to the system with no real hope of getting that benefit back. In essence, they are paying more. There is no justification for the "unChristian" attacks on the underprivileged. NONE

Gordon said...

The only "justification" is to further divide Americans against Americans to try and win elections.