Hilliary, Obissmal, Pelosi and Reid creaming in their pantsuits for more of this:

Americans Spend More on Taxes than on Food, Clothing and Housing
May 20, 2015

The Gap between Taxes and Essentials is Increasing

What $100 is Worth in Each State

Every year, the Tax Foundation compares the total amount of taxes paid in America and the amount of spending on the necessities of food, clothing, and shelter. In most recent years, the Tax Foundation has concluded that Americans spend more on taxes than on necessities — and 2015 is no different.

The Tax Foundation projections show a total of $4.85 trillion in taxes paid in 2015, divided between $3.28 trillion in federal taxes and $1.57 trillion collected at the state and local level. According to the Tax Foundation, total taxes are approximately 31% of the national income. Using data available from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), the Tax Foundation calculated approximately $4.3 trillion in spending for the basics with food at around $1.8 trillion, clothing at $0.3 trillion, and housing at $2.2 trillion.

Here's the real question: Is this spending comparison indicative of a problem or of a correct and equitable tax structure? Should any of us be outraged? Probably not, although there are reasons for concern.

Certainly, the trend is not promising. The gap between taxes and spending on the essentials in 2012 was approximately $150 billion, rising to almost $300 billion in 2014 and around $550 billion in 2015. It's hard to spin that as a positive development.

The Tax Foundation's report also says nothing about equity of taxes and spending. Certainly, the Tax Foundation can leave the impression that taxes are too high for all Americans by using aggregate values. More progressive sites such as the Center on Budget and Priority Policies (CBPP) call these values misleading, pointing out that with our progressive tax system, poorer Americans clearly pay a greater share of their income for the essentials and less in taxes.

Meanwhile, the wealthy pay more in taxes and while they may make more discretionary purchases in food, clothing and shelter, it isn't enough to make up the difference. Therefore the "average" (middle-class) American probably does not pay more in taxes than for the basics, and the lower income levels certainly do not.

This conclusion implies a higher amount of wealth transfer to help lower-income Americans with spending on their basics. Indeed, a graph created by the Tax Foundation shows a steady rise in transfer payments as a percentage of the cost of living, from 0.5% to nearly 35% in 2011. The Tax Foundation acknowledges some double-counting inflating the value, but the trend is still valid.

This illuminating graph and other explanations may be found in a 2012 article on the Tax Foundation website at http://taxfoundation.org/article/america...nd-shelter. For example, the amount spent on taxes was roughly equal to that spent on food, clothing and shelter from 1929 until the 1990's, when the divergence began. Since then, taxes have increased disproportionately in a sawtooth pattern, with dips corresponding to economic crashes (2001 and 2007-2009).

If you have a budget — and you should have if you don’t — you can certainly figure out whether or not you paid more in taxes than you did in 2014, and can probably make a good estimate for 2015. What you do with that information is up to you.

You may well conclude that you pay too much in taxes, but use the exercise as an opportunity to analyze your spending on the basics. Are you getting the best value out of your dollar for your food, clothing, and housing payments? We'll just ignore the subject of whether you're getting your money's worth out of your taxes. Save your outrage for that topic.

And yet most American eat too much, own way more clothes than they need, and live in houses in the thousands of square feet.


I love America.

(05-20-2015 03:42 PM)Fitbud Wrote:  And yet most American eat too much, own way more clothes than they need, and live in houses in the thousands of square feet.


I love America.

Let me tell you, I feel really bad about it too.

I hope you donate literally everything you don't need and live in a house that's less than 1000 square feet. Don't EVER eat until you're full.

If you own a t-shirt you haven't worn in a week, then you are an oppressive, capitalism-loving shitlord.

(05-20-2015 03:47 PM)shiftyeagle Wrote:  

(05-20-2015 03:42 PM)Fitbud Wrote:  And yet most American eat too much, own way more clothes than they need, and live in houses in the thousands of square feet.


I love America.

Let me tell you, I feel really bad about it too.

I hope you donate literally everything you don't need and live in a house that's less than 1000 square feet. Don't EVER eat until you're full.

If you own a t-shirt you haven't worn in a week, then you are an oppressive, capitalism-loving shitlord.

I own way too many shirts, eat out almost every day, and live in a very large, two story house.

Can I join your gang?

(05-20-2015 03:48 PM)Fitbud Wrote:  

(05-20-2015 03:47 PM)shiftyeagle Wrote:  

(05-20-2015 03:42 PM)Fitbud Wrote:  And yet most American eat too much, own way more clothes than they need, and live in houses in the thousands of square feet.


I love America.

Let me tell you, I feel really bad about it too.

I hope you donate literally everything you don't need and live in a house that's less than 1000 square feet. Don't EVER eat until you're full.

If you own a t-shirt you haven't worn in a week, then you are an oppressive, capitalism-loving shitlord.

I own way too many shirts, eat out almost every day, and live in a very large, two story house.

Can I join your gang?

I don't have a two story house and I rarely eat out. You are privileged. You should feel horrible about what you're doing.

In fact, you should cut off half of your top story and put it on my house to even things up. And give me money so I can eat out as much as you. And give me some t-shirts.

Taxes suck the life out of a nation. We'll all be cradle-to-grave zombies someday.

I think I'll re-write the take code in my spare time. Im pretty aure i cam keep it under 25 pages.

I guess the Liberals can't blame Bush for all the extra Tax money the Obama Government is Now getting ! Thanks Democrats ,Your True Colors are really Shining Now ! Spend it Shamelessly like Always. Oh,and don't forget to have a large chunk of it disappear for funding the DNC Campaign coffers. 2016 is Calling

(05-20-2015 07:08 PM)UConn-SMU Wrote:  Taxes suck the life out of a nation. We'll all be cradle-to-grave zombies someday.

Taxation is the lifeblood of Liberals. Without it?...They would not exist as a specie.

(05-20-2015 07:08 PM)UConn-SMU Wrote:  Taxes suck the life out of a nation.

Not necessarily, but our tax code certainly does. That thing needs to be blown up and started from ground zero. No tax code should have 75,000 pages.

(05-21-2015 05:02 AM)CardFan1 Wrote:  I guess the Liberals can't blame Bush for all the extra Tax money the Obama Government is Now getting ! Thanks Democrats ,Your True Colors are really Shining Now ! Spend it Shamelessly like Always. Oh,and don't forget to have a large chunk of it disappear for funding the DNC Campaign coffers. 2016 is Calling

You want to try this post again...this time coherently with some context and at least one fact?

Thanks.

(05-20-2015 03:50 PM)shiftyeagle Wrote:  

(05-20-2015 03:48 PM)Fitbud Wrote:  

(05-20-2015 03:47 PM)shiftyeagle Wrote:  

(05-20-2015 03:42 PM)Fitbud Wrote:  And yet most American eat too much, own way more clothes than they need, and live in houses in the thousands of square feet.


I love America.

Let me tell you, I feel really bad about it too.

I hope you donate literally everything you don't need and live in a house that's less than 1000 square feet. Don't EVER eat until you're full.

If you own a t-shirt you haven't worn in a week, then you are an oppressive, capitalism-loving shitlord.

I own way too many shirts, eat out almost every day, and live in a very large, two story house.

Can I join your gang?

I don't have a two story house and I rarely eat out. You are privileged. You should feel horrible about what you're doing.

In fact, you should cut off half of your top story and put it on my house to even things up. And give me money so I can eat out as much as you. And give me some t-shirts.

Are you kiddding. I built this. I deserve everything I get. Maybe your just don't work hard enough.

(05-21-2015 09:48 AM)Fitbud Wrote:  

(05-20-2015 03:50 PM)shiftyeagle Wrote:  

(05-20-2015 03:48 PM)Fitbud Wrote:  

(05-20-2015 03:47 PM)shiftyeagle Wrote:  

(05-20-2015 03:42 PM)Fitbud Wrote:  And yet most American eat too much, own way more clothes than they need, and live in houses in the thousands of square feet.


I love America.

Let me tell you, I feel really bad about it too.

I hope you donate literally everything you don't need and live in a house that's less than 1000 square feet. Don't EVER eat until you're full.

If you own a t-shirt you haven't worn in a week, then you are an oppressive, capitalism-loving shitlord.

I own way too many shirts, eat out almost every day, and live in a very large, two story house.

Can I join your gang?

I don't have a two story house and I rarely eat out. You are privileged. You should feel horrible about what you're doing.

In fact, you should cut off half of your top story and put it on my house to even things up. And give me money so I can eat out as much as you. And give me some t-shirts.

I built this.

You did NOT build that.

Tax his land, tax his wage,
Tax his bed in which he lays.
Tax his tractor, tax his mule,
Teach him taxes is the rule.

Tax his cow, tax his goat,
Tax his pants, tax his coat.
Tax his ties, tax his shirts,
Tax his work, tax his dirt.

Tax his chew, tax his smoke,
Teach him taxes are no joke.
Tax his car, tax his grass,
Tax the roads he must pass.

Tax his food, tax his drink,
Tax him if he tries to think.
Tax his sodas, tax his beers,
If he cries, tax his tears.

Tax his bills, tax his gas,
Tax his notes, tax his cash.
Tax him good and let him know
That after taxes, he has no dough.

If he hollers, tax him more,
Tax him until he's good and sore.
Tax his coffin, tax his grave,
Tax the sod in which he lays.

Put these words upon his tomb,
"Taxes drove me to my doom!"
And when he's gone, we won't relax,
We'll still be after the inheritance tax.

(05-21-2015 10:52 AM)shiftyeagle Wrote:  

(05-21-2015 09:48 AM)Fitbud Wrote:  

(05-20-2015 03:50 PM)shiftyeagle Wrote:  

(05-20-2015 03:48 PM)Fitbud Wrote:  

(05-20-2015 03:47 PM)shiftyeagle Wrote:  Let me tell you, I feel really bad about it too.

I hope you donate literally everything you don't need and live in a house that's less than 1000 square feet. Don't EVER eat until you're full.

If you own a t-shirt you haven't worn in a week, then you are an oppressive, capitalism-loving shitlord.

I own way too many shirts, eat out almost every day, and live in a very large, two story house.

Can I join your gang?

I don't have a two story house and I rarely eat out. You are privileged. You should feel horrible about what you're doing.

In fact, you should cut off half of your top story and put it on my house to even things up. And give me money so I can eat out as much as you. And give me some t-shirts.

I built this.

You did NOT build that.

I built my own empire with hard work. If you don't like it, work harder.

My wet dream consists of hunky, naked men

(05-22-2015 04:11 PM)dbackjon Wrote:  My wet dream consists of hunky, naked men

Ok.