Tax Protests and the Tea Party- Why Now?

[Andy A]

Murray, thank you for the history lesson and refresher. It was very enlightening, and now if we can only get some to understand that in many ways, we are in exactly the same position we were in 1773. The Tea Party Movement is not based on taxes alone but on many other issues as well. I've reiterated what those issues are time and time again and it is useless to repeat them. The biggest difference is our population is much larger and diverse.
And Geo, I don't believe for a minute that taxes are the lowest they have been in 60 years. They may be for those who's income is below the poverty level since they don't pay anything and possibly receive a tax credit which means they get back money they didn't pay, but for those working and those who planned their retirement nothing could be further from the truth. It kind of falls in the same category as when Bill Clinton looked me in the eye through my TV screen, and with all sincerity, said "I did not have sex with that woman." I guess it depends on your definition of "sex", so I guess it depends on your definition of "taxes". As I said previously, I will go on what is affecting me personally and it certainly isn't lower taxes by any stretch of the imagination.

 

[Here4Good]

So, what do you think about financial reform?

 

[Geo]

Andy, you have always come off as honest and your first hand accounts of the tea party make you a credible source. You aren't viewed as being one of the uninformed nuts depicted in the videos of teapartiers that we post here.

That said, what troubles me is your acknowledgement that you aren't going to take the time to look at the tax data but yet you refuse to believe the data when presented to you. This is the behavior of the folks in the videos. They refuse to believe the historical data that is a matter of public record but they'll believe what Fox News says and Sarah Palin say.

 

[Desso]

You are exactly right, Andy A. I make pretty good money and I pay A LOT of federal taxes. No refunds or loopholes here. I pay over $300.00 per day on average, every day, to include weekends and holidays to the government. I am proud to be an American and to pay my taxes, but please don't tell me MY taxes are the lowest in 60 years. My tax liability was only low when I made very little money. And anybody that tells me I can afford it, have never paid the IRS over $100,000 in a year. It changes the way you think about taxes, I guarantee it.

 

[scooterbug44]

You should have just done your taxes, so if you don't know that there were several changes and credits that benefited you, I don't know what else I can say to convince you.

 

[Desso]

You have convinced me to fire my CPA, get a copy of TurboTax, and have a cup of tea.

 

[Geo]

Desso, nobody told YOU that YOUR taxes are the lowest they've been in 60 years. See post 1- paragraph 2.

Evidently, you are not among the 95 percent of middle class earners who received a tax cut. That's the bad news. The good news, however is that you made a great deal of money more than the folks with whom you'll be drinking tea and denying data. Good for you.

 

[Geo]

Not sure why I am bothering but,
Desso, I am fairly certain that if you took your current income and calculated your tax liability under the rates used for each president in the last 60 years that you would gain new appreciation for what you currently pay.

 

[Desso]

I am having tea with my wife, Geo. There are no "folks". And data can say many things, if proposed in a certain light. Data is not incontrovertible. And lastly, the 95% and 5% percent numbers are an illusion. I am surprised so many people believe such nonsense.

 

[Desso]

Such comfort. Don't bother next time, Geo.