[Vision2020] The balls in my court, or let's have a whack.
Joan Opyr
auntiestablishment@hotmail.com
Wed, 14 Apr 2004 15:13:32 -0700
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As Paul Duffau has dangled his two things before me, I'm obliged to take =
a swing. So . . . =20
1) It's true; Bill Clinton did not come from the wealthy and privileged c=
lass. In fact, he's white trash. (Don't argue with me; I'm an expert on=
this. I grew up eating moon pies, putting peanuts in my coke, and think=
ing The Dukes of Hazzard was much funnier than Shakespeare.) Clinton was=
well-educated, brilliant, and talented, but he was W.T. nonetheless. Ki=
nd of like Elvis -- it was singing, not breeding, that made him the King.=
=20
So, granted, we've recently had a guy who grew up poor in the White House=
Great. But Mr. Clinton is in his late fifties. He had the good fortu=
ne to grow up when the U.S. was being re-made by the G.I. Bill, and he ca=
me of age in the Great Society. Pell grants. Guaranteed student loans. =
The ability (and facility) to rise based on knowledge and merit. But as=
we systematically replace the New Deal with the Raw Deal, we ensure that=
there will be no new Bill Clintons. You went to college, but will you b=
e able to send your kids? You climbed a ladder of grants and loans, but =
now George and his friends are pulling it up behind you and setting fire =
to it. Not far off lurks a return to the bad old days when a university =
education was only for the rich elite. Just compare the average increase=
in state tuition costs to the percentage decline in the average worker's=
earnings. Then subtract. And let's use real dollars -- none of that Wh=
ite House Budget Office fiddling. If 20% of the UI's staff are earning b=
elow the poverty line, how many of them will be able to send their kids t=
o the university that pays them their serfdom wages?
2) About George Bush's 28% tax rate and Mr. Duffau's 4.8% -- rather than =
write you a lengthy answer explaining the concept of progressive taxation=
, let's instead pretend that we already have that British-style electoral=
system I mentioned in a previous post. As Tony Blair frequently says du=
ring Prime Minister's question time, "I refer the gentleman to the answer=
my right honorable friend gave some moments ago." See Ron Force's messa=
ge below. Then follow the link to the LA Times article.
Joan Opyr/Auntie Establishment
=20
From: Ron Force
Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2004 1:26 PM
To: vision2020@moscow.com
Subject: [Vision2020] Dick Cheney's 2003 tax savings larger than your ann=
ual income.
=EF=BB=BF =20
I read somehwere else that the average tax savings of the Bush cabinet wa=
s about the same as the median U.S. family income ($45K).
For more on taxes see Matthew Miller's column in the LA Times (registrati=
on required, but free).
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-miller13apr13,1,1292=
628.story?coll=3Dla-news-comment-opinions
"...Conservatives love to cite facts like these: The top 5% of taxpayers =
pay more than half of federal income taxes; the top 1% pay more than a th=
ird all by themselves; and the bottom 80% of earners pay less than 20%...
..But this is not the full picture. Any fair-minded person should want t=
o know two other things: What percent of total income do these different =
slices of earners actually earn; and what share of total federal taxes, n=
ot just income taxes, do they pay?
The conservative worldview inexplicably ignores the payroll tax =E2=80=94=
predominantly the FICA deductions for Social Security and Medicare =E2=80=
=94 as well as excise taxes on things like liquor, gasoline and tobacco. =
Those taxes take their biggest bite, proportionally, from lower-income Am=
ericans...
..When you look at who pays what based on total federal taxes, the Unite=
d States doesn't look much like an Ayn Rand novel after all.
The top 1% of American taxpayers earn 17% of the income and pay 23% of to=
tal federal taxes; the top 5% earn 31% of the income and pay 40% of the t=
axes; the bottom 80% of the earners make 41% of the income and pay 31% of=
the taxes. These numbers are from 2001, the most recent available data; =
Bush's tax cuts have since made the burden on top earners lower. In other=
words, for all the conservative whining, we have a modestly progressive =
federal tax system..."
**********************************************
Ron Force Moscow ID USA
rforce@moscow.com
********************************************** Get more from the Web. FR=
EE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com
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<HTML><BODY STYLE=3D"font:10pt verdana; border:none;"><DIV>As Paul Duffau=
has dangled his two things before me, I'm obliged to take a swing. =
So . . . </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>1) It's true; Bill Clinton d=
id not come from the wealthy and privileged class. In fact, he's wh=
ite trash. (Don't argue with me; I'm an expert on this. =
I grew up eating moon pies, putting peanuts in my coke, and thinking The =
Dukes of Hazzard was much funnier than Shakespeare.) Clinton was we=
ll-educated, brilliant, and talented, but he was W.T. nonethele=
ss. Kind of like Elvis -- it was singing, not breeding, that m=
ade him the King. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>So, granted, w=
e've recently had a guy who grew up poor in the White House. G=
reat. But Mr. Clinton is in his late fifties. He had the good=
fortune to grow up when the U.S. was being re-made by the G.I. Bill, and=
he came of age in the Great Society. Pell gran=
ts. Guaranteed student loans. The ability (and facility)=
to rise based on knowledge and merit. But as we systematically rep=
lace the New Deal with the Raw Deal, we ensure that there will =
be no new Bill Clintons. You went to college, but will you be =
able to send your kids? You climbed a ladder of grants and loa=
ns, but now George and his friends are pulling it up behind you=
and setting fire to it. Not far off lurks a return =
to the bad old days when a university education was only for the ric=
h elite. Just compare the average increase in state tuition costs t=
o the percentage decline in the average worker's earnings. &nbs=
p;Then subtract. And let's use real dollars -- none of that Wh=
ite House Budget Office fiddling. If 20% of the UI's staf=
f are earning below the poverty line, how many of them will be able =
to send their kids to the university that pays them their serfd=
om wages?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>2) About George Bush's 28% tax rat=
e and Mr. Duffau's 4.8% -- rather than write you a le=
ngthy answer explaining the concept of progressive taxation, let's i=
nstead pretend that we already have that British-style electoral system I=
mentioned in a previous post. As Tony Blair frequen=
tly says during Prime Minister's question time, "I refer the&nb=
sp;gentleman to the answer my right honorable friend gave some moments ag=
o." See Ron Force's message below. Then follow the link =
to the LA Times article.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Joan Opyr/Auntie Es=
tablishment</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> =
<DIV> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: =
5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"=
> <DIV style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt Arial; COLOR: black"><B>F=
rom:</B> Ron Force</DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt Arial"><B>Sent:</B> Tue=
sday, April 13, 2004 1:26 PM</DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt Arial"><B>To:=
</B> vision2020@moscow.com</DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt Arial"><B>Subje=
ct:</B> [Vision2020] Dick Cheney's 2003 tax savings larger than your annu=
al income.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV>=EF=BB=BF <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00=
2800.1400" name=3DGENERATOR> <DIV> <DIV class=3DOutlookMessageHeader dir=
=3Dltr align=3Dleft><FONT face=3DTahoma size=3D2></FONT></DIV><SPAN class=
=3D781054819-13042004>I read somehwere else that the average tax savings =
of the Bush cabinet was about the same as the median U.S. family income (=
$45K).</SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=3D781054819-13042004></SPAN> </=
DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=3D781054819-13042004><FONT face=3Dverdana>For more =
on taxes see Matthew Miller's column in the LA Times (registration requir=
ed, but free).</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=3D781054819-13042004>=
</SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=3D781054819-13042004><FONT face=3Dve=
rdana><A href=3D"http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-mil=
ler13apr13,1,1292628.story?coll=3Dla-news-comment-opinions">http://www.la=
times.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-miller13apr13,1,1292628.story?col=
l=3Dla-news-comment-opinions</A></FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=3D7=
81054819-13042004><FONT face=3Dverdana></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><S=
PAN class=3D781054819-13042004><FONT face=3Dverdana>"...Conservatives lov=
e to cite facts like these: The top 5% of taxpayers pay more than half of=
federal income taxes; the top 1% pay more than a third all by themselves=
; and the bottom 80% of earners pay less than 20%...</FONT></SPAN></DIV> =
<DIV><SPAN class=3D781054819-13042004></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN clas=
s=3D781054819-13042004><FONT face=3Dverdana>...But this is not the full p=
icture. Any fair-minded person should want to know two other things: What=
percent of total income do these different slices of earners actually ea=
rn; and what share of total federal taxes, not just income taxes, do they=
pay?</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=3D781054819-=
13042004><FONT face=3Dverdana>The conservative worldview inexplicably ign=
ores the payroll tax =E2=80=94 predominantly the FICA deductions for Soci=
al Security and Medicare =E2=80=94 as well as excise taxes on things like=
liquor, gasoline and tobacco. Those taxes take their biggest bite, propo=
rtionally, from lower-income Americans...</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN =
class=3D781054819-13042004></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=3D7810548=
19-13042004><FONT face=3Dverdana>...When you look at who pays what based =
on total federal taxes, the United States doesn't look much like an Ayn R=
and novel after all.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN cla=
ss=3D781054819-13042004><FONT face=3Dverdana>The top 1% of American taxpa=
yers earn 17% of the income and pay 23% of total federal taxes; the top 5=
% earn 31% of the income and pay 40% of the taxes; the bottom 80% of the =
earners make 41% of the income and pay 31% of the taxes. These numbers ar=
e from 2001, the most recent available data; Bush's tax cuts have since m=
ade the burden on top earners lower. In other words, for all the conserva=
tive whining, we have a modestly progressive federal tax system..."</FONT=
></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=3D781054819-13042004></SPAN> </DIV> =
<DIV> </DIV> <P>**********************************************<BR>Ro=
n Force Moscow ID&n=
bsp;<SPAN class=3D781054819-13042004>USA</SPAN></P> <P> <A href=3D"m=
ailto:rforce@moscow.com">rforce@<SPAN class=3D781054819-13042004>moscow.c=
om</A></SPAN><BR><BR>********************************************** </P><=
/BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML><br clear=3Dall><hr>Get more from the Web. FRE=
E MSN Explorer download : <a href=3D'http://explorer.msn.com'>http://expl=
orer.msn.com</a><br></p>
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